Ever Fallen In Love
by Cena-Wilson-Crazy
Summary: Jeff Hardy and Maria wake up in the same bed following a drunken night out, and can’t believe the mess they THINK they’ve gotten themselves into … JeffxMaria
1. In the Morning

Ever Fallen in Love

Ever Fallen in Love

Author's Note:

Jeff Hardy and Maria wake up in the same bed following a drunken night out, and can't believe the mess they _think_ they've gotten themselves into …

JeffxMaria, JohnxTorrie

Also featuring Matt Hardy, CM Punk, Taker, Edge, Mickie and many more …

This takes place about two years after Love in all its forms. It's basically a Maria and Jeff story, but of course, we will have our Jorrie moments !!

Now, on with the story :) Enjoy !

Chapter One : In the Morning

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

The bright sun pierced through the hotel room windows, making Jeff Hardy slowly squint his eyes open. He immediately regretted the gesture, seeing as the sun as well as his heavy hangover made him wince painfully. The alcohol definitely hadn't worn off.

_I'm never drinking again …_

He tried falling back asleep, but his dizzy head and urge to vomit prevented him from doing so. It was at that moment that he felt a light pressure across his chest. Slowly forcing himself up, he painfully opened his eyes and almost choked at what he saw.

A single, thin arm lay gently on his chest, and it was definitely female. He could tell from the red nail polish.

Jeff searched his mind to try and remember bringing back a woman to his hotel room. But he couldn't remember anything from last night, not after the 12th shot of tequila John Cena convinced him to take.

Making sure it _was_ his room, the younger Hardy slowly slipped the cover off the woman's face, scared at who he might find sleeping in his bed. First he saw a mane of long, auburn hair, splattered around her face.

_If it's Melina I swear I might hurt myself …_

Thankfully for Jeff, it wasn't Melina. Instead, he found Maria Kanellis sleeping peacefully in his bed.

Although relived, he couldn't help but feel very shocked by the situation. Here was Maria, a beautiful and charming Diva that he had never really gotten to know, sleeping next to him with her arm across his chest. And he didn't know how she'd gotten there.

Carefully trying to slip out of the bed, he froze when he saw her moving. She took her arm off of him and turned to the other side, stuffing her face in some more huge pillows.

Happy he hadn't woken her, Jeff staggered all the way to the bathroom, trying to be as quiet as possible. He figured that a nice shower would help heal the hangover, and maybe help him think of what to tell Maria when she woke up. But what would he tell her? He really couldn't remember anything from the night before, and he didn't know the girl all too well either. Even though he'd always found her exceptionally beautiful, and friendly, and even though they had more or less the same circle of friends, they'd never gotten close. What's more, rumor had it that she was having an affair with a man Jeff respected very much, CM Punk. How was he going to explain this to him?

Only at that moment did Jeff notice that he was completely naked. Feeling his jaw drop, he quickly opened the bathroom door again to take a peak at Maria … and the first thing he saw was her clothes scattered across the floor.

"Shit!" He said a little too loudly.

Making sure Maria was still asleep, he closed the bathroom door again. He sighed loudly, before making his way in the shower like a defeated man.

Now he _really _couldn't believe what he'd gotten himself into.

"This is not good …"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There you have it, the first chapter! Sorry it's a little short, but don't worry, I have a lot of things in store for you people :) :)

I'll be posting a longer Chapter Two very shortly. In the meantime, here's a little preview.

_Maria wakes up: how will she react ? And what happens when a certain Superstar "overhears" what might have happened between Jeff and Maria ?_

Stay tuned for the next Chapter !


	2. Putting the Pieces Together

Ever Fallen in Love

Ever Fallen in Love

Author's Note:

Jeff Hardy and Maria wake up in the same bed following a drunken night out, and can't believe the mess they _think_ they've gotten themselves into …

JeffxMaria, JohnxTorrie

Also featuring Matt Hardy, CM Punk, Taker, Edge, Mickie and many more …

This takes place about two years after Love in all its forms. It's basically a Maria and Jeff story, but of course, we will have our Jorrie moments !!

Now, on with the story :) Enjoy !

Chapter Two : Putting the Pieces Together

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Maria woke up to the sound of a running shower near by. She inwardly cursed her room-mate Mickie James for once again pulling her out of her sleep with her loud and early showers.

Turning on her side, Maria suddenly felt like something was different. And then it hit her.

_Since when were the drapes made of satin … ?_

She sat bolt up right in the bed, even though her still hung-over body protested against the sudden movement. But she didn't care. She'd woken up in a place that definitely _wasn't _her room.

Maria pulled the covers off of her, and had to hold back a scream when she found herself fully and completely butt-naked.

_Oh…my…lord. _

Not considering what she was doing, she jumped out of the bed and began to frantically search for her clothes. And in her despaired state of mind, she failed to hear the shower stop running…

While Maria picked up her bra, Jeff Hardy opened the bathroom door.

…And as they both finally spotted the other's presence, they let out a unanimous cry.

"AAhhh!!"

Maria grabbed the nearest drape and quickly rapped it around her naked body, while Jeff covered his eyes with one arm, and tightened his grip on the towel around his waist with the other.

"Jeff?!"

"I didn't see anything! Honestly, not a thing!" Jeff replied in a hurried tone, while his arm still covered his eyes.

"Jeff!!" Maria yelled again, which made the younger Hardy brother slowly uncover his face to look at her. She seemed pissed off to say the least.

"Um... Hi Maria."

"What the hell are you doing here?!" She cried again, which made the Rainbow-Haired-Warrior lift an eyebrow. He didn't appreciate the way she was aggressing him.

"It's kind of my room…"

Maria looked around, her eyes seeming lost.

"Then, what am I doing here?!"

"Hell if I know! I was just as plastered as you were last night … Maybe even worse!"

An uncomfortable silence passed between them, and the Diva starting slipping her clothes back on. She made sure to do this behind her satin drape, making sure Jeff didn't try to take a sneak peak.

"We didn't … you know … did we??" She blurted out the question that she had feared to ask.

"Well…" He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm naked, you're naked… We were both really drunk last night…" Jeff attempted to put some humor in the situation, only to find Maria give him her back.

She had a little difficulty putting her shoes back on, as she almost fell over one of them. Then she turned back to Jeff, and started yelling angrily at him all over again.

"No! No it's not possible! You're making all this up!"

"Maria…" He said slowly, deciding it was better to be honest with each other. "I know this sucks, 'cause of you and Punk and all… But I don't think we should lie to ourselves…"

At the mention of Phil's name, Maria's anger seemed to take a whole new level.

"Shut up Jeff! Nothing happened, alright?! I would have remembered…"

"We were really, _really_ drunk last night… It's normal not to remember right now." He tried reasoning with her. He wasn't one hundred percent sure that they'd slept together either, but considering the situation, it was most likely that they did. And Jeff wasn't the type to run away from a mess he'd gotten himself into… He liked facing the problem head on.

"Yeah so either I was too drunk!" She continued lashing out at him. "Or you were too awful at it for me to remember!"

Jeff's jaw dropped. That had definitely hurt his manly pride, and he was about to answer back before she marched off to the door.

She grabbed the handle and before opening the door, she turned to give the young Hardy one deathly glare.

"And don't you _dare_ mention any of this to anyone!!"

She then walked out of the room, slamming the door and leaving a dumbfounded and rather shocked Jeff Hardy behind her.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Vickie! Come on open the door!" Adam Copeland, otherwise known as Edge, banged loudly on his fiancée's hotel room. "I was only kidding about Lita being hotter than you…"

At that moment, a door near by him opened and slammed, and Edge turned around to see Maria Kanellis marching off looking furious. She didn't acknowledge his presence as she stomped right past him, and went straight for the elevators.

"Looks like I'm not the only one having a bad morning…" He muttered, after the Diva was out of sight.

He went back to knocking on Vickie Guerrero's door, but to no avail. He'd really pissed her off this time.

About five minutes later, the door Maria had marched out of opened again. Edge lifted his eyebrows surprisingly as he saw Jeff Hardy come out of it. The Rainbow-Haired-Warrior walked right past him, and made his way to the same elevator Maria had just taken. The Rated-R-Superstar thought he heard Jeff mumble something about "awful" and "crazy woman", before disappearing as well.

Edge finally stopped banging on his fiancée's door, as he thought of the scene that had just taken place before him.

Jeff and Maria had just marched out of the same hotel room, both looking equally pissed off. And if memory served him correctly, Edge was pretty sure that they were both very wasted last night.

A small grin appeared on his face. His morning wasn't that bad and boring after all.

"This should be interesting…"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

-- Uh oh, looks like Edge is on to something… That doesn't sound too good for Jeff and Maria, does it? ;)

Hope you all enjoyed it! And good news for all you Jorrie lovers … They'll be making a little comeback in the next chapter, WITH their baby from "Love in all its forms" :) :)

Please review! Any ideas and constructive criticism is welcome.


	3. Airport Drama

Ever Fallen in Love

Ever Fallen in Love

Author's Note:

Thank you all so much for the reviews!! I hope you keep them coming :)

This takes place in the airport, a day after chapter two, when Jeff and Maria wake up together.

Aaaannnd … guess which couple and their baby is making a little comeback ;)

Now, on with the story :) Enjoy !

Chapter Three : Airport Drama

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Torrie! Hold the baby!"

John gently gave the child to his girlfriend Torrie Wilson, and went back to stressfully looking for the passports in his duffel bag.

"You say _the baby_ as if you're not talking about your own daughter…" Torrie replied, slightly amused. She knew better than anyone how much John loved his baby, and the extents he'd go to to guarantee his family's happiness and safety.

He finally stopped fidgeting around, as he pulled out the American passports and slipped them in his pockets. He then immediately handed out his hands to Torrie.

"Ok, you can give me Trisha back now…"

His face lit up the moment Torrie gave him back the baby. He seemed to glow. And the blonde Diva couldn't help but feel her heart melt at the sight of her boyfriend and their child, both looking so blissfully happy in each other's arms.

And they were definitely happy. After all, they had come a long way. Torrie would sometimes find herself giggling at how fate had a funny way of working. She had started off hating John Cena, to finding herself completely in love with him and their child. She could never ask for anything better in life. Everyday spent with her family was heavenly.

_Even though Trisha keeps me up most nights and John takes a weird pleasure in pissing me off every now and then…_

"Will you stop doing that?" John suddenly said, pulling Torrie out of her reverie. He hadn't taken his eyes off their daughter.

"Doing what?"

"Every time I'm with Trisha, you keep staring at us like a fish outta water."

He finally turned to look at Torrie, giving her one of his killer smiles. They both knew he was right: every time he'd have a "cute" moment with their kid, he'd find his girlfriend looking at them like she was going to pass out.

She laughed, and as John turned back to play with his baby, she pulled him in for a long, passion-filled kiss.

He had difficulty pulling away, as he always did when he found himself lost in one of Torrie's perfect kisses, but he finally did when he suddenly remembered something from their past.

"I just noticed that two years later and you're still jumping at me with those surprise kisses of yours!"

"That's because you're so _cute_!!" She smiled, and painfully pinched his cheeks the way he hated so much.

"Ow!!" He protested, and tried to get Torrie's fingers to stop killing his face. "Oh, I'll show you cute…"

He grabbed her in for a heated make out session in the airport. They had to pull back, after a good five minutes, when Trisha started pulling on John's "Chain's Gang" cap.

"John!" Torrie said, with an embarrassed smile on her face. "We said we'd stop kissing in front of the baby! It's not good for her!!"

"Oh come on Wilson. It's not like she'll grow up to be a sex addict or anything…" John started, but stopped talking when he noticed baby Trisha give them an incredulous look.

The couple looked at each other before bursting out in laughter. They laughed like two teenage kids who had an inside joke. No one else would understand, but they thought it was the funniest thing in the world.

It was one of those special, and cherished moments between John Cena and Torrie Wilson.

Eventually, they managed to steady their breathing. Torrie, who was still red in the cheeks from all that laughing, went to sit on John's lap, taking Trisha in her arms.

They were the portrait of the perfect family.

But their moment was soon interrupted when someone yelled for them.

"Torrie!"

The blonde bombshell turned around to find Maria Kanellis running towards her, looking a little freaked out.

"Maria, you okay?" Torrie asked her worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just need to talk to you…"

Torrie nodded, and slowly turned to face her boyfriend. She gave him that "I'm sorry baby" look, and John instinctively knew that this was his cue to leave the girls alone. He stood up, with baby Trisha in his arms, and rolled his eyes at them playfully. He knew that Torrie would tell him everything later on anyways.

"Aright ladies, I'll let you two gossip. Me and Trisha here are gonna get some candy. You're loss!"

As he passed by Maria, she gave him an apologetic look. She really didn't like being a burden to anyone, especially not to two people who loved each other so much.

"John!" Torrie's mother instincts suddenly kicked in. "Don't give her too much candy!"

He replied by simply winking at her, knowing it would piss her off, and walked off.

"Ugh! My kid's going to have yellow teeth when she grows up because of John and his stupid-"

"I had sex with Jeff Hardy."

Torrie immediately shut her mouth, as if she'd gotten a slap on the face. She looked at Maria, who was staring at the floor.

"What?!"

"I had sex with Jeff Hardy… At least, I think I did. Oh I wish I could remember!" She dropped her head in her hands, as her voice became more and more shaky. "I never should have drunk so much!"

They stayed in silence for a few moments. Torrie was at a loss of what to say, and Maria still had her head stuffed in her hands.

"Well, at least you didn't sleep with Snitsky or something!" The blonde beauty said, trying to brighten her friend's mood. "I mean, Jeff is a really great guy…"

"I'm sure he is, but I barely even know him!" Maria said, and she seemed to be on the verge of tears. "And he's going to think horribly of me now… That I'm this little slut that gets completely wasted and sleeps around… And everyone's going to know. He's going to tell his friends, which is basically equivalent to the entire locker room, and I'm going to have a shit reputation!"

"You won't Maria! He was really drunk as well Saturday night… so you _both_ made a mistake. It happens… And besides, Jeff isn't going to tell everyone. He's not the type to run his mouth like that…" Torrie said in Jeff's defense.

Maria simply shook her head, in a defeated manner.

"And you know what the worst part is…" She sighed deeply, fighting hard to keep the tears from falling. "Phil's going to find out. I'm sure he is one way or another… And he'll never forgive me…"

Torrie sat closer to Maria, and gently squeezed her hand.

"Don't be so hard on yourself… And it's not like you and Phil are officially together anyways."

"Officially or not, it doesn't change the fact that we have feelings for each other. And that we _were_ going to get together, until this had to happen!" She raised her voice, and began violently bumping her head against the palm of her hand. "Torrie, imagine you were me! Imagine this happened to you while you and John were "together" but not really as boyfriend and girlfriend yet… How do you think he'd feel?"

Torrie didn't even want to go there. Even though her relationship with John had always been too special to be compared with, the simple fact of imagining herself in Maria's shoes made her understand the panic her friend was enduring.

"See, you're terrified expression just answered my question…"

Maria leaned back against her uncomfortable chair, wishing she could just vanish in it.

"This is really the worst thing that could happen to me…"

At that very moment, the Rated-R-Superstar Edge happened to pass just in front of the two Divas. He had a huge smile on his face, which only grew wider at the sight of a rather upset Maria. He knew why she was upset. And it would be against his nature to not put his fellow Superstars in the spotlight…

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

There you go, my third installment! I hope you all liked it.

And for all you Jeff Hardy fans, he's going to be back in the next chapter, promise :)

Here's a little preview in the mean time:

_Jeff bumps into John__, then into Edge, and finally into Maria … How is that going to play out ?_

Please tell me what you think in the reviews :)


	4. The Candy Shop

Ever Fallen in Love

Ever Fallen in Love

Author's Note:

Thank you all so much for the reviews!! I hope you keep them coming :)

This still takes place in the airport, but it's more focused on the wonderful Jeff Hardy this time around :D

Now, on with the story :) Enjoy !

Chapter Four : The Candy Shop

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jeff Hardy was in deep thought. Here he stood in front of a variety of different options: Gummy bears, Snickers, Skittles, Pop Tarts, Jawbreakers and many more. And he was really hungry.

"Fuck it." He grabbed a handful of the twelve different candies, and made his way to the cashier. When he'd done paying, he turned around and jumped in surprise when he saw the Undertaker himself standing behind him.

Giving him his usual icy look, the Phenom brushed by Jeff and went to pay for the Mars bar in his hand.

_Ha, I guess a Candy Shop really is for everyone…_

The Rainbow-Haired-Warrior was half way out the store when he felt a very strong arm pat his shoulder.

"Hardy!"

Jeff turned and gave a manly hug to his good friend John Cena. He then smiled at baby Trisha, and gently touched her blonde mane.

"Hey there beautiful..."

The little Cena replied by gurgling some sort of word, and grabbing a small handful of Jeff's purple and blonde hair. Both men laughed at the gesture, until the younger Hardy winced in pain as Trisha tightened her hold on his hair.

"Ow! Now I know she's definitely your kid…" Jeff chucked, and finally managed to free himself from the baby's grasp. He really loved kids: even the ones who hurt him.

Both men started talking about their next WWE storylines, and Jeff was really into the conversation until something caught his attention. He discretely diverted his eyes from John Cena, and laid them on the two Divas talking about a mile away. They seemed to be in an intense conversation, and Jeff couldn't help but to wonder if they were talking about him. After all, _he_ was the one who woke up next to a drunk and naked Maria.

It felt weird looking at her again. He hadn't seen or heard from her since the morning before… something which he was grateful of. He had definitely not forgotten about the stab to his ego when she insinuated that he was "awful" in bed.

"Man I hope you ain't staring at Torrie like that, 'cause I would really hate to have to beat you up…"

Jeff finally snapped out of his thoughts, and looked back at John who had a huge smile on his face.

"Nah man, not at all..." John lifted a curious eyebrow at the young Hardy. "Not that Torrie isn't pretty or anything…" John's eyebrow quirked up even further, and Jeff let out a nervous laugh.

"What happened between you and Maria?"

"What?" He said, taken aback by John's direct question. Had word already spread out concerning him and Maria?

"You heard me, what happened between you and Maria?"

"Nothing man."

"Don't lie to me Jeff." John replied, although he was smiling. "I can tell when something's up… not to mention you really _suck_ at lying."

Jeff rolled his eyes; he should have known better than to try and lie to John Cena.

"Yeah… Well, I had to try. Next time I'll know not to fool with the Master of lies himself."

"Exactly… And beside I ain't the "Master" of lies anymore… I stopped all that."

"Yeah, I know man." He said, and gave John a friendly tap on the back. "So… What did you hear?" He asked and titled his head in Maria's direction.

"I didn't hear anything!" John jumped up in the defense. "All I know is that Maria just ran up to Torrie a few minutes ago looking like she was gona cry, then I find you in here giving her evil looks… And as far as I remember, you two were about to fall in an alcoholic coma Saturday night." The former Champ finished summing up his theory, looking very proud of himself. "It don't take a rocket scientist to figure out something happened between you guys…"

Jeff chuckled.

"Okay, true… Now try and figure out the rest."

John debated silently for a while, before answering.

"Did you sleep with her?"

"Yep." Jeff replied nonchalantly.

"And… You feel bad about it?"

"Well, I'd have to remember it to feel bad about it right?"

"You don't remember anything?!" John asked surprised.

"Nope."

"And does she remember?"

"Nope."

John remained silent for a moment, before a sly smile slipped on his face.

"Man, you must have really fucked it up for her to not remember sleeping with you."

Jeff gave his friend an incredulous look, as he felt another stab to his ego. John burst out laughing, and Jeff was about to bite his head off when a familiar voice came up behind them.

"What's this I hear about _sleeping with you_…? Now that must be interesting."

Both men turned, and scowled to find the Rated-R-Superstar Edge in their faces. He had one those evil smirks of his plastered on his face.

"What the hell do you want Edge?" John said menacingly, as he held Trisha tighter in his arms and took a step towards Edge.

"Drop it John, he's just snooping around as usual." Jeff interfered, mocking the blonde Superstar. "You know, since he's got nothing better to do with his life. That and sleeping with the boss of course…"

Instead of seeing the smile vanish from his face, the Rated-R-Superstar continued smirking, looking as happy as ever.

"Haha… Oh we'll see who'll be laughing in the end Hardy."

With that said, Edge walked out of the Candy Shop while humming a happy tune.

"What a bastard…" John muttered through gritted teeth.

"I agree with you one hundred percent, but avoid saying bad words in front of your kid yeah?" Jeff let out a small laugh. "Torrie might kill you…"

"Yeah, you got me there Hardy. Speaking of which, I gotta give her back to Torrie for the diaper change… We're boarding soon."

John began walking out of the little store, but turned back when he found that Jeff hadn't moved.

"You coming?"

"Yeah… except I don't think Maria really wants to see me right now."

John sighed, and gave Jeff the hurry-your-ass-up look. The Rainbow-Haired-Warrior hesitantly proceeded to walking with this friend towards the Divas.

"That's better… And besides, you guys can't play hide and seek forever. This ain't high-school anymore."

Just as at that moment, Maria turned around and froze when she saw Jeff Hardy coming her way. She whispered something in Torrie's ear, and hurried towards the gate. She was already out of sight by the time the men arrived next to the blonde Diva.

"Here." John said, and handed Trisha to his girlfriend. "I think she pooped. She's all yours."

Torrie rolled her eyes.

"You know, you're going to have to do it someday…"

After Torrie and Trisha had made their way to the bathroom, Jeff faced the former Champ.

"So, John… You were saying something about hide and seek…?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There you go, I hope you enjoyed it!

Here's a little preview of chapter 5 … and I can tell you, things are going to get very interesting!!

_Preview: Every WWE Superstar has boarded the plane, and Jeff and Maria find themselves seated rather close to each other … How bad can it go?_

Please leave a review!__


	5. A Public Affair

Ever Fallen in Love

Ever Fallen in Love

Author's Note:

Thank you all so much for the reviews!! I hope you keep them coming :)

This chapter takes place during the plane ride … In the other words, the WWE private jet.

Now, on with the story :) Enjoy !

Chapter Five : A Public Affair

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Maria walked hurriedly in the private plane's small aisle, looking for her seat. She smiled when she spotted it, but her heart skipped a few beats when she found that CM Punk was seated next to her. She put on a brave face, determined not to let Phil see that she was actually rather distressed. She wasn't going to let her mistake with Jeff ruin a possible relationship with the Straight-Edge Superstar.

_M__aybe pretending everything's ok will make me feel better… And I don't want Jeff Hardy ruining my mood anymore!_

"Hey you..." Phil smiled, as she took her seat next to him.

"Hey!" She replied, trying to act like her usual cheerful self. "Sorry I didn't answer you're phone calls yesterday… I couldn't find my cell until this morning!"

She gave the usual excuse, hoping he'd buy it. In reality, she hadn't answered her phone because she didn't want to face him. She'd spent the whole of the day before locked in her hotel-room, with her splitting hangover and her heart full of regrets. The only person she'd allowed to visit her was Mickie James, her best friend. When Maria had done recounting her morning in the Rainbow-Haired-Warrior's room, the Woman's Champion tried convincing her friend to come spend a girl's night out with the Divas, saying it would do her some good. Maria immediately refused… mainly because she was scared out of her mind at the idea of bumping into Jeff Hardy; the reason why she bolted when she saw him and John Cena walk up to her at the airport.

"Oh ok. You had me worried there! I thought something happened to you after Saturday Night…"

Maria gulped at the mention of Saturday Night. How much did he know? And besides, she thought he had gone when the shots of tequila started coming.

"What are you talking about?" She asked, trying to keep her calm composure.

"Nothing, I just heard that everyone got a little tipsy after I left. I was worried you'd gotten hurt, especially since you were surrounded by drunken idiots like JBL and company…"

She felt relieved, but even guiltier. How could she have "betrayed" someone as sweet and caring as CM Punk?

"Aw, you're sweet." She smiled, and put her hand over his. "But don't worry, I'm fine…"

"Good." He said softly. "I missed you Maria."

She felt herself blushing, and her smile grew wider.

"I missed you too."

She leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek… when she spotted, from the corner of her eye, a familiar figure with purple and blond hair walking towards her. She froze for a few seconds, and instead of kissing Phil's cheek she leaned in his arms where she rested her head on his shoulders. This way, she could make sure he wouldn't notice her apprehensive expression, as she discretely watched Jeff Hardy make his way towards them. She hoped, _prayed_, that he would continue walking and find himself seated a good few rows away from them. Instead, she felt her heart sink as he placed his bag on the seat next to Matt Hardy, which happened to be just across the aisle from where she was sitting.

The younger Hardy then spotted her, making herself comfortable in CM Punk's arms, only a few feet away from him. Their eyes met, but Maria immediately turned away: she was still terrified at the idea of facing him.

Yet here she was, with CM Punk on her right, and Jeff Hardy a few feet away on her left. And she was going to spend the next one hour plane ride in this position.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Matt! Man are you listening to this?!" Jeff, once again, whispered harshly in his brother's ear while slapping him on the shoulder. "Look at how they're all over each other..."

Matt closed his eyes, and silently prayed that the Lord help him from smacking his brother over the head. He had listened to Jeff bitch and moan about Maria and CM Punk for the past 40 minutes, and he was really starting to feel frustrated.

"Jeff, for the 100th time, they're just _talking._" He leaned to his side and briefly heard the subject of conversation between Maria and Phil. "…And about sushi!"

"…Which happens to be an aphrodisiac." Jeff stated matter-of-factly, and went back to glaring at the pair sitting close to him. "It's disgusting! Look at how they're kissing each other's asses!"

"But they're not even touching you idiot. And Punk has an earphone on!"

"And you want to know why she's all over him like this?" Jeff said, completely ignoring his brother's last statement. "It's because I'm sitting right _here, _and she wants to piss me off!"

"And her diabolical scheme is apparently working isn't it?!" Matt replied, his tone thick with sarcasm. "And why do you care so much anyway? You're acting like a jealous ex-boyfriend."

"No man, it's not like that at all." Jeff rolled his eyes. "It just pisses me off that's she's rubbing it in my face. Like she's trying to show me how _perfect_ she is with her little prince charming, and that I'm just the piece of shit she accidentally slept with. It hurts the ego man. You'd be pissed off too if say Lita kept rubbing in your face how much better off she was with Edge!"

"Ok, first of all, Lita did _just that. _And second of all Jeff, don't compare you're drunken one night stand with Maria to my five year relationship with Lita."

Jeff felt a pang of guilt. Even though his brother didn't seem any more annoyed than he had a few minutes ago, Jeff knew he shouldn't have brought up the painful memories of Lita and Matt Hardy. But before he could apologize, the person sitting a few seats in front of them stood up and turned around. Both Hardy's frowned at the sight of the Rated-R-Superstar himself, Edge.

"Why, Matt." Edge said in a loud enough voice for the entire plane to hear. "You should feel ashamed!"

A grin appeared on the older Hardy's face, and he replied in an equally loud voice.

"And this is coming from my former best friend, who slept with my former girlfriend while I was out in hospital…"

A rush of laughter erupted in the plane, yet Edge's smile didn't disappear. It grew even wider: something which made Jeff Hardy all the more skeptical.

"You should feel ashamed Matt if you're going to end up like me, and try separating a nice old couple!"

Jeff felt his heart drop as Edge pointed towards him and Maria.

_The bastard knows something…_

"What are you talking about?" Jeff put in, even though he pretty much knew where this conversation was heading…

"I'm talking about Matt taking a seat next to you which _should_ be occupied by Mrs. Kanellis over there!"

Everyone who had been listening in on the conversation turned to look at Maria. The Diva had a clear blank expression on her face, yet she turned her eyes for a mere second to look at Jeff: the pleading look she gave him was unmistakable.

"Come on Jeff; don't glare at me like that." Edge said, even though he was addressing the WWE Roster more than he was addressing Jeff. "I'm just saying that when you sleep with a girl, the least you could do is sit next to her on the following flight back… Right?"

An eerie silence passed through the plane, as every Superstar was taken aback by the revelation. Edge's smile grew bigger, and he seemed to be suppressing the urge to burst out in laughter. Jeff, on the other hand, was suppressed by the urge to grab Edge by the neck and suffocate him. He didn't even want to look at Maria this time: he knew that the expression in her eyes would make the situation seem all the worse. Yet the situation got worse by itself when a low, almost dangerous voice broke the silence.

It was the voice of CM Punk.

"What did you say?"

"You heard what I said Punk!" Edge continued, completely ignoring the anger of the Straight-Edge Superstar. "I was just reminding everyone how a gentleman's supposed to treat a girl after sleeping with her. That is, if Jeff and Maria even did sleep together in the first place. But you know, after seeing two people walk out of the same hotel-room one morning after some hardcore partying, looking pissed off and half drunk, I think it's easy to deduct that these two people… how can I say this…" The Rated-R-Superstar then took a step closer to Jeff. "…had it going on all night long."

Edge winked at the younger Hardy, who looked like he was ready to commit murder. But before Jeff had the chance to give Edge a piece of his mind, the Rated-R-Superstar casually made his way back to the front of the plane; this time, he didn't hold back his urge to laugh.

And for a while that sound of laughter was the only thing heard. Every one was exchanging glances, silently expressing their shock at what had just happened. Eventually they all turned to look at the subjects of the hot topic: Jeff Hardy and Maria. The Rainbow-Haired-Warrior felt frozen in his seat. He was angry as hell at Edge for making his mistake a public scandal, yet he was too shook up and aware of everyone staring at him as if he was an alien to do anything about it. What's more, he couldn't bring himself to look at Maria. He knew she must have been feeling ten times worse than he was. Yet luckily for him, he wouldn't have to face her at the moment since the beautiful Diva stood up and hurried to the bathrooms, where she locked herself in.

Jeff contemplated going after her, just to make sure she was okay. But he knew that would be a bad idea for many reasons, the main one being that he'd draw more attention to himself; including the intention of CM Punk. Jeff mustered up the courage to turn to the ECW Superstar, and as he expected, he was greeted by a very hostile look. Punk stared at him with pure anger and bitterness in his eyes; something Jeff had never seen in him before. But instead of doing something about that anger, the Straight-Edge Superstar tore his eyes away from Jeff and stared out the window, giving the younger Hardy his back.

_Man I really got myself in a sticky situation this time…_

It was like a slap across the face. His little affair with Maria had been revealed, and in the most public way possible. Jeff looked at the ground, trying to recollect his thoughts.

CM Punk was angry at him. Maria and probably every one else was angry at him. And he was furious with Edge… he was definitely going to do something about that. But in the mean time, the only thing that kept Jeff calmly in his seat was the feeling of Matt's hand on his shoulder, gently squeezing it for support the way it had always done.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There you go, chapter 5 !! Hope you all enjoyed it :)

And I'd just like to point out that in reality I'm a huge fan of Edge ! But I needed a bad guy for this fic and I think he fits the role perfectly!

Here's a little preview of what's coming up next

_Preview: Jeff gives Edge a piece of his mind … And accidentally makes the situation bigger than it already is…_


	6. Eavesdropper and Troublemaker

Ever Fallen in Love

Ever Fallen in Love

Author's Note:

Thank you all so much for the reviews!! I hope you keep them coming :)

Now, on with the story :) Enjoy !

Chapter Six : Eavesdropper and Troublemaker

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jeff Hardy didn't leave Edge out of his sight. Since the moment they landed, he made sure that the loud mouthed bastard didn't go anywhere without Jeff knowing about it; which is why he kept his eyes firmly on the Rated-R-Superstar, who was checking in the hotel they would be staying at. After giving the receptionist a comment about her ass, Edge made his way to the lobby's men's restroom. Jeff narrowed his eyes, and immediately followed him into the bathrooms as well.

_The asshole's gonna get it now…_

Edge was checking out his appearance in the mirror when the door flew open and slammed shut. He turned around to find that the younger Hardy had just barged in, looking like thunder.

"What the hell do you want Hardy? Maria isn't here if you're looking to-"

Before Edge could finish his sentence, Jeff plunged at him. He grabbed him by his shirt, and slammed him violently against the wall. It took all of Jeff's self-power to not beat the blond Superstar to a bloody pulp there and then. He could lose too much in his career by just assaulting a fellow co-worker of his: no matter how much that co-worker deserved the beating.

"You stupid loud mouth son-of-a-bitch!!" Jeff yelled in Edge's face, without loosening his grasp on his shirt. "You just had to go and make a public scandal about me and Maria, didn't you?!"

"Let go of me Hardy!" Edge violently managed to push Jeff away from him. "And don't touch me again, unless you want to spend the rest of you're career on Heat!"

Jeff clenched his hands into fists, knowing that unfortunately Edge had a point. But he still intended to give him a piece of his mind.

"Why the hell did you have to go and run you're mouth like that Edge!? Is you're life so messed up that you find it fun to go fuck up things for everyone else??"

"Oh, _boo-hoo_ Hardy, don't be such a drama-queen!" Edge mocked him. "And besides, I was doing you a favor! Didn't you want everyone to know that you were the man who screwed one of the hottest Divas around?"

"No, I didn't want everyone to know!"

"So you regret it?"

"I didn't say that-"

"So you enjoyed it?"

"I-"

"So you _loved_ it…"

"Edge, shut up!" Jeff snapped, getting tired of the purposefully annoying questions.

"Then why don't you want anyone to know?" Edge asked, as if it was the most illogical thing he had ever heard.

"Because, Edge, this kind of stuff is _personal_! Not that you would know the meaning of that…" Jeff replied crossly. "And you made Maria look really bad! Now she's gonna pass off as the easy girl who gets drunk and sleeps with everyone, when she's not like that!"

"Ugh, rest your case Hardy." Edge rolled his eyes. "All the Divas are drunken bitches anyway."

"The only bitch around here, Edge…" Jeff said, getting more and more infuriated. "Is _you_!!"

At that precise moment, a toilet flushing could be heard in one of the small cabins near the two men. Jeff and Edge exchanged glances. It was the Rainbow-Haired-Warrior who was particularly worried: he dreaded to find out who had overheard their conversation. And knowing his luck these days… Jeff expected the very worse.

And the very worst is exactly what he got when the cabin door opened, and out walked a grinning Mr. McMahon.

_Oh please no…_

"Hello boys!" Vince said in his booming voice, smiling from ear to ear. "That was a very interesting conversation you two seemed to be having… Unfortunately I only heard bits and pieces. Anyone care to tell me what really happened?"

"Ask fuck face over there!" Jeff yelled angrily, before he could control himself, and pointed a finger at Edge.

Vince turned to the angry high-flyer, and his smile disappeared as he gave Jeff one of his deathly looks. He certainly didn't like being answered back to, especially in a rude way.

"You should watch your tone Hardy!" Vince said between gritted teeth. "Unless you do indeed want to spend the rest of your career on Heat!"

Jeff gulped, and before he could think of a way out of the situation _without_ telling his boss about him and Maria, Edge opened his mouth and started babbling.

"See Vince, Maria and Jeff went to this party, then got really wasted, then went back to Jeff's room, then had sex, then walked out of the room the next morning which is when I figured out they slept together, then today they were seated close to each other on the plane, and then I went and told everyone what happened between them." Edge finished his speech, and took in a deep breath. "And now Jeff is really angry and wants to kill me."

A moment of silence passed between them. Jeff had frozen in place, preparing himself, once again, for the worse. After all, Mr. McMahon hadn't moved a muscle since Edge had revealed everything, and that was not a good sign coming from a hyper-excited man like the Chairman of the WWE.

"That's brilliant!"

Edge and Jeff jumped up from the sudden exclamation of their boss. Vince was smiling again, and he rubbed his hands together happily.

Jeff on the other hand, felt completely confused. This was definitely not the reaction he was expecting.

"What?"

"It's brilliant!" Vince repeated himself loudly. "Brilliant I say! Pure genius!"

The two Superstars looked at each other again, wondering if their boss had gone completely mad.

"…Genius enough to go _onscreen_!!"

Jeff Hardy's jaw dropped. Was his situation with Maria really going to be put onscreen? Would it become a storyline for the whole world to witness? He couldn't imagine it happening… Especially since Maria Kanellis seemed to hate his guts at the moment.

"Wait... On… Onscreen?" Jeff mumbled nervously.

"Yeah, _onscreen_?!" Edge intervened, looking almost offended. "I'm sorry Mr. McMahon, but I don't think this pathetic one-night-stand stunt is brilliant enough to be put onscreen…"

"And I don't give a shit about what you think Edge!" Vince exclaimed, although he was still smiling. "The reason this is so _brilliant_, is because I've been telling myself lately that I need a new couple on the show. Ever since the John Cena and Torrie Wilson pairing, I've been searching for a new duo! These silly romances always get me more money for some reason… And Jeff, you just solved my problem!" He tapped the younger Hardy on the shoulder with all his force, making Jeff almost wince in pain. "I can already smell the ratings… Two of the fan-favorites paired up together as a new couple… Jeff Hardy and Maria Kanellis! It's great!"

Yet Vince seemed to be the only to find it great. He continued rubbing his hands together excitedly, while Jeff and Edge stood there in complete silence, looking dumbfounded.

"And you're going to tell her Jeff! You tell Maria that tomorrow I'll be waiting for the two of you in my office, so we can talk the whole storyline through… 4pm in my office! I'll be waiting for you!"

With that said, Vince strutted his way out of the bathroom looking very pleased with himself. Jeff on the other hand, felt completely star struck at what was happening to him. What started off as a small _private_ mistake, became in the space of two hours a full-blown scandal that every WWE Superstar was aware of, and that soon the entire world would be aware of… Because Mr. McMahon wanted to make a storyline out of it.

And to top it all off, he would have to tell Maria the "great" news himself. His situation with her was already bad enough: she'd yelled and "insulted" him the morning she realized what they'd done, she'd run off in the other direction when she'd seen him walking towards her, she'd flirted and sucked up to her "boyfriend" because she knew he'd be listening in… Even though Matt said that that last part was all in his head.

In short, they were already on bad terms. And now they'd have to fake being a couple on television… which meant they were stuck together, in and out of the ring.

_Because knowing Vince, he's gonna make us travel together, share the same locker-room__, the same hotel-room, hell maybe even share the same bed! Man Maria's gonna hate me…_

Jeff was pulled out of his troubling thoughts when he heard Edge snicker behind him. He faced the Rated-R-Superstar, who looked like he wanted to burst out laughing just as he had done in the plane.

"Wow, this is good. Not that I'm happy you're little extreme ass is getting a push over this… But wow, the look on your face right now is just priceless!" Edge chuckled, his little smirk growing wider by the second. "Good luck telling Maria by the way…"

Edge had to hold his stomach from all the laughter. He obviously found the situation hilarious, and wanted to make sure Jeff knew that.

The Rainbow-Haired-Warrior just stood there, watching Edge laugh his heart out at his expense. He couldn't stand it. Giving his back to the Rated-R-Superstar, he took a step towards the exit. He then stopped when a light-bulb lit up over his head.

He turned back to face Edge, with a little smile on his face. And suddenly, just as the blonde Superstar stopped to catch his breath, Jeff's hand went flying through the air and slapped him right across the cheek.

The force of Jeff's slap sent him straight to the floor. Before he could recollect his thoughts and attack the youger Hardy, Jeff made his way out of the bathroom, leaving Edge on the ground with a stinging left cheek.

_Well, at least that's one good thing I got to do today…_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There you go, Chapter 6!

Hope you enjoyed it… I know it's not very long, but I'll make up for that in the next chapter!

Speaking of which, here's a little preview.

_Jeff and Maria find out exactly what Vince has in store for them…_

Please let me know what you think!!


	7. The Boss's New Rules

Ever Fallen in Love

Ever Fallen in Love

Author's Note:

Thank you all so much for the reviews!! I hope you keep them coming :)

Now, on with the story :) Enjoy!

Chapter Seven : The Boss's New Rules

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jeff Hardy walked in the hotel's hallway, searching for his destination. He secretly hoped he wouldn't find it: even though he had to. It was already 12pm… which meant he only had four hours before his meeting with Vince and Maria. And of course, being a last-minute-doer kind of person, Jeff only waited until now to tell the Diva about their boss's big plans. He really dreaded this…

_And I can't wait to see her reaction… Maybe she'll slap __me this time…_

"Hey Jeff!"

He turned around to find the source of the sweet voice. For a second he thought it would be Maria, who had maybe gone back to her bubbly self, but instead he found Kelly Kelly walking in his direction. She waved at him, and gave him a seductive smile.

"Hey Kelly." He said flatly, but not rudely. He didn't really care much about her. Sure she was pretty, but a little too shallow for Jeff's liking.

She winked at him, before heading to towards the elevators. Feeling rather relieved, Jeff continued on his search… which didn't last long because a few steps later, he found himself in front of Maria's hotel room.

"Here goes nothing." He took a deep breath, and knocked on her door.

Immediately footsteps from the other side could be heard. Before Jeff's "fears" of facing her could come back, the light brown door suddenly flew open. And there stood in front of him Maria Kanellis.

As he'd expected, she didn't look too pleased to see him at her doorstep. But she didn't look angry either... She simply seemed shocked. Her lips were slightly parted, and she blinked once. Yes, she was definitely shocked to see the Rainbow-Haired-Warrior standing in front of her.

"Hey Maria…" He said with a small smile, hoping to break the silence.

"Hi." She quickly replied, even though she still seemed surprised. After that, she went quiet again.

"Look, um… I know you're not too happy in seeing me here. But I just have something to tell you. It's really important…"

When he found that she was still in her stupefied state, that she hadn't moved a muscle, Jeff decided he push the subject a little further… hoping his luck wouldn't run out.

"Could I come inside? I promise, I'll be real quick…"

He wanted to add "then I'll be out of your hair for good", but he knew that would just be a lie… unfortunately.

After a few moments, Maria gently moved aside, giving Jeff just enough space to slip inside the room. Normally he would always take a few seconds to check out a Diva's surroundings, something that intrigued him very much. But in this case, he thought it was better to just face Maria and tell her what was going on.

"Ok, so here's what's going on… You're not gonna be too happy to hear it-"

"I wasn't expecting good news Jeff." She replied flatly. He didn't know if he should laugh or take her comment personally, so he instead decided to ignore it and continue talking.

"Right… So here's what happened. After we landed, I followed Edge to the bathrooms, to argue with him about what he did on the plane. So like I said… I got there, we did argue for a bit… And then, um… then we heard someone in the stall next to us, who had obviously overheard everything, and it was Mr. McMahon and-"

"WHAT?!"

At the mention of Vince's name, Maria snapped out of her stupor. She had just yelled her lungs out at the younger Hardy, out of complete shock and sudden dread.

Jeff unconsciously took a few steps back. Maria's loud, enraged yell at him had been unexpected, since he had _just_ begun to feel a little more comfortable in her presence.

_Maybe I am gonna get that slap on the face after all…_

Maria tried to calm herself from her sudden outburst, and inhaling deeply.

"And what did Mr. McMahon say…?" She managed to ask in a slightly more relaxed tone.

"He, uh… He thought it was brilliant."

"Brilliant…?" She said, her voice sounding very edgy.

"Yeah, brilliant, and he wants to put us in a storyline together because of it."

Jeff prepared himself for her to snap again. But this time, it seemed like she was too shocked for words. Her jaw dropped, and she had regained her silent and surprised look. It was as if she had just seen a ghost. She was just standing there looking stupefied.

"Maria?" He asked hesitantly, hoping she wouldn't suddenly scream at him. But he didn't get anything: she didn't move, respond, or even blink this time. She just looked like an angry and statue with its mouth open.

"Ok, well, I'm gonna go now!" He pointed towards the door, and began to move in its direction. "And by the way, we gotta be in Vince's office at 4pm sharp, to talk through the storyline and stuff…" He had already made it to the other side of the door, but Maria still hadn't moved a muscle. "Ok? 4pm, don't forget!"

With that, he began walking towards the elevators. He then noticed that Maria's door was still wide open. Figuring out that the Diva had no intention of closing it, he turned on his steps and went back towards her hotel room. Maria was still in the same state he'd just left her in.

"4pm Maria… Very important." He whispered to her one last time, before slowly closing the door on her.

He made his way back to the elevators, and this time he didn't turn back. Now that Maria was more or less informed about their storyline, he felt a weight lifted from his shoulders.

_Yeah… It definitely__ could have gone worse._

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

At ten to four, Jeff had already seated himself on the couch in front of Mr. McMahon's office. He put on his earphones, and waited patiently for the meeting to take place. Suddenly, he started pondering on where Maria was. After all, he hadn't exactly made sure that she had registered the part about the meeting. She seemed to have completely zapped out after he mentioned their storyline.

_Shit! What if she doesn't remember me talking about the meeting?! I'm gonna get killed…_

Then, to his relief, he felt someone sit on the other end of the couch. Thankfully, it was Maria. She'd definitely snapped out of her state of pure shock, yet she didn't look happy whatsoever. She had a sullen look on her face.

Jeff opened his mouth to tell her something, anything, when the door to Vince's office opened in front of them.

"Ah! There you are! There's nothing I love more than Superstars on time!" Vince exclaimed, his voice as loud and boosting as ever. "Get in get in! We have business to do!"

He rushed Maria and Jeff in his office, looking as excited and hyper as ever. Age had definitely not taken its toll on Vince McMahon. He hurried to his leather chair in front of his desk, while the two Superstars took their place in the two chairs positioned in front of him. Maria shifted uncomfortably in her seat, while Jeff tugged on his red and brown hair.

"Ok! Now I suppose Jeff told you why we're here… How exciting is this!" Vince tapped happily on his desk, while Maria and Jeff forced smiles. "We're going to get to the details now. So listen up because they're very important! This romantic angle we're involving the two of you in is very important to me… See I've been wanting a new strong couple on the show for a while now! The type of couple that will go down in the books of history! Like John Cena and Torrie Wilson two years ago, my daughter Steph and Triple H, Randy the Savage and Elizabeth… All these romances made for some good TV time, and they're still talked about 'til this day! And I want to bring that element back with the two of you!"

Jeff nodded, even though he felt a small lump form in his throat. This storyline was definitely going to be more serious than he'd thought… maybe even one of the most important storylines of his career. At least that's what Vince made it sound like.

"So imagine how thrilled I was when I overheard Jeff and Adam talk about you're little flirt back in Toronto! I felt great! I knew at that moment that I had found my new pairing… Jeff Hardy and Maria Kanellis, two of the fan favorites… It all fell into place! Look, I can even see the chemistry between you now!"

Jeff and Maria laughed stiffly, only for the sake of their jubilant boss. Then they both secretly wondered what drug Mr. McMahon had been using.

"So as I said before, this storyline is going to be _big_. Not just the usual Diva walks Superstar to the ring and all that crap… No no, the crowd has to feel the love between you!" Vince smiled like a madman, while the two Superstars felt more and more apprehensive. "Now we're going to start out simple… And we're starting this week! What's going to happen is that a segment will take place between Maria and Umaga backstage. Umaga is going to try and "impress" Maria, but with no luck. Then later on in your match against Melina, the Samoan Bulldozer is going to come and try and attack you Maria, for not responding to his advances! And then you Jeff, being Umaga's opponent at Judgment day two weeks from now, well you're going to come and make the save!" Vince boomed, looking very proud with his plan for the upcoming Raw event. "And we'll take it from there… Any questions?"

Maria immediately jumped at the opportunity.

"Yeah, how long is this storyline going to last exactly…?"

"Hmm, well that hasn't really been determined yet. I can say for sure that it's going to be a bumpy ride between you two. Break ups, make ups, and all of that. I might even turn it into a love triangle some time, for the drama aspect… But that's still far ahead of us! One thing's for sure though: it's going to start with Maria and Jeff, and it's going to end with Maria and Jeff!"

Both Superstars nodded. They put on happy faces, once again only to please their boss.

"Ok, well if that's it, you two may go now! And I'll see you in a few days for Raw!" Vince stood up dynamically, as he walked Maria and Jeff towards the door. Before they stepped out, the Rainbow-Haired- Warrior remembered to ask one last crucial question.

"By the way Vince, are we gonna be sharing the same locker-room-"

"You most definitely are!" Mr. McMahon cut through his question. "And the same rental cars, the same hotel-rooms… Hell you'll be lucky if I don't make you share the same bed!" Vince laughed at his own remark, while Jeff and Maria looked horrified. "Basically, you two are going to be together the whole time! It'll only help for the storyline… See if you're close off-screen, you'll definitely look very close on-screen… And who knows, maybe by the end of this scripted romance, we'll have a real life romance!"

Vince winked at both his Superstars, before stepping back in his office and closing the door. They stood there looking completely flabbergasted. How had they gotten themselves into such a situation?

Maria's sullen and sad look swooped back on her face the moment Mr. McMahon was out of sight. She looked down at the floor, while Jeff stood by her side feeling awkward. He somehow knew that she was thinking about CM Punk, and he couldn't help but feel bad for her.

And so out of the kindness of his heart, even though he didn't particularly like her at the moment, Jeff thought he'd try to cheer her up.

"Hey, I know this sucks… But it could have been worse right?" Jeff said softly, and seeing as she still had her eyes set on the ground, he pressed the subject further. "I mean, you could have been stuck with… let's see, Snitsky! That would have been horrible. At least I don't smell."

After saying that last sentence, Jeff had the urge to kick himself. Who in their right mind would tell a girl that they didn't smell?! He felt completely stupid, and when Maria looked up at him, he expected her to make fun of him for that last remark. Instead, she offered him a small, simple nod. Jeff considered that a good sign, and so he smiled at her as she walked away. He then walked in the opposite direction, hoping to go back to his hotel room and organize a poker or something with Matt, John and the other men. This was after all the last night he'd have his own hotel room, and he thought he'd make the best manly time out of it.

_I don't smell… Jeff you are definitely off your game_.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

There you go, chapter 7! It's longer than usual, so I hope you all enjoyed it!

By the way, in case it's not clear, the little sentences in italic refer to Jeff's thoughts, and in some chapters they will be Maria's thoughts… And the bubbly Diva will be in the center of the next chapter!

_Maria goes to see CM Punk… Will it go as she expects?_

Please leave a review!


	8. Teardrops On My Guitar

Ever Fallen in Love

Ever Fallen in Love

Author's Note:

Thank you all so much for the reviews!! I hope you keep them coming :)

Now, on with the story :) Enjoy!

Chapter Eight : Teardrops on my Guitar

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Maria had stood a good few minutes in front of his door. She wanted more than anything to face him again, yet she couldn't find the courage to knock. The way he'd look at her, or just the things he might say to her scared the pants off of her. And she'd deserve every bit of it. After all she'd hurt him in a way he'd never have thought: she could tell by the way he looked at her in the plane after Edge revealed her secret.

_Ok, I just have to get this over with. I have to see him again, no matter what he might think… Just knock on the door!_

But luckily for Maria, she didn't need to knock: the hotel room door opened by itself, and she was face to face with CM Punk.

"Maria." He said coldly, looking surprised yet angry to see her again. She'd never seen such coldness in his eyes.

"Hey Phil…" She replied slowly, her voice fragile. "Could we talk? Please…"

"I don't think so…"

"Phil, please! You have to let me explain-"

"Explain what Maria?!" He nearly yelled at her, his tone becoming slightly more aggressive. "Explain how you went and got drunk off your ass, when you know I'm against alcohol! Explain how you got so drunk, you went and slept with someone else?!"

Maria didn't know what to reply. The truth was that she had no explanation, no justification for her actions. But all she wanted was to talk to him, to find a way to maybe work through this.

"I'm sorry Maria, but I don't want to hear your explanations." He did indeed look sorry, and when he attempted to walk past her, Maria panicked.

"Phil, wait! You can't give up on us that easily… We weren't even a couple yet, and-"

"You're right Maria, we weren't a couple. But you knew very well how strongly I felt for you! And drunk or not, that should have stopped you from having sex with Jeff Hardy." He didn't sound as angry anymore. Instead he looked hurt, disappointed, and that was even harder for Maria to cope with. "I hope you two have a nice future together… I hear you'll be around each other a lot, because of the new love angle the writers have got going for you."

She was on the verge of tears. If only she could just hang on to him…

"Phil, I-"

"You broke my heart. And I don't want to talk to you again."

His voice was shaky, but when Maria tried to prevent him again from walking past her, he lost his cool and pushed her away. He walked hurriedly towards the elevators, without turning back, and then he was gone.

Maria stood immobile in front of his door. So many thoughts were going through her head, and so many emotions were piling themselves on her. It was almost too much. The one man she'd ever really cared about had given her his back and walked away. Her "relationship" with CM Punk was over.

She slowly turned around and headed for the stairs. It took all of her self control to not burst out in tears. She wanted more than anything to get back to her room, crawl into bed and cry her heart out. But she knew she couldn't do that, because as of that morning she'd been placed in the same hotel room as Jeff Hardy, under Vince's instructions. Even though she hadn't seen him since the meeting from the day before, she had a feeling that when she got back to her room, she wouldn't have the chance to be alone. And no way was she going to cry in front of the Rainbow-Haired-Warrior. She hated to show signs of weakness in front of anyone, and only the people very close to Maria had had the privilege to see her break down.

By the time she made it in front of her room, she was almost trembling. Her harsh encounter with CM Punk had shaken her up quite a bit: it was the first time she'd been rejected by a man, and the first time she felt a broken heart. But Jeff couldn't have his doubts about that, so she sucked it all in, put on a brave face and opened the door.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The first thing she noticed when she stepped into the hotel room was the music coming from the other side of the suite. That's how she knew Jeff was there: she couldn't see him, but she could hear him playing guitar. It took her a while to really listen to the music, and she found it beautiful. It was a slow, romantic piece… yet she could feel the drop of sadness to it: the melody of heartache. And Maria immediately bonded with it. She thought of CM Punk. She thought of what he'd just said to her, and the painful look in his eyes. She thought of how she'd lost him.

And suddenly she couldn't hold the sadness in any longer. It was beyond her control, as she felt the tears forming in her eyes. She tried to fight against them, but she couldn't. Just hearing the slow sound of the music, and remembering what she had once had with CM Punk was all too upsetting for Maria. She couldn't help herself from crying…

In the other side of the room, Jeff abruptly stopped his fingers from playing the guitar. He'd just heard a sob. Then he heard full out crying.

He jumped up from his spot on the couch, and hurried to the other end of the suite. When he made it in front of the sobbing figure, he stopped in surprise. He'd expected it to be Maria, but still he couldn't help but feel a little amazed to find her shaking and crying right before his eyes. And what's more, the only thing Jeff Hardy couldn't handle, the high-flying daredevil and ladder-obsessed Jeff Hardy… the one thing he didn't know how to deal with was a crying woman. He had absolutely no idea what to do in such cases. It didn't happen to him a lot, thank the Lord, but the one or two times he did find himself in similar situations, he'd tend to get agitated and confused. And that never helped with an upset woman, and he had a feeling Maria would be no exception.

"Why are you crying?!" He asked a little too loudly, out of sheer panic at what he was getting himself into. "Um… Don't cry. It's not good for you!" He realized how stupid he sounded, and it looked like Maria did as well because her tears suddenly became more abundant. "Ok, um… Do you want me to get you anything? I know, water! Yeah, water's good for you!"

Jeff turned and ran towards the mini bar, grabbing a bottle of cold water. He wasn't really thinking about what he was doing: all he knew was that he had to get her to stop crying. Because that's what you did when you found someone crying in your face, right?

He ran back towards Maria, who was still sobbing uncontrollably and had put one hand in front of her mouth.

"Here! I got you water…" He tried giving her the bottle, but she refused the offer and shook her head, as her crying became even louder. "Ok, no water…Um… What do I take when I'm upset?" Jeff asked himself out loud, and the answer would have come to him quicker if his mind wasn't stressing out. And finally it hit him. "Candy!"

He ran once again, this time towards his duffel bag sitting on the couch. Thankfully for Jeff, he still hadn't eaten all the junk he'd bought from the Candy Shop in the airport. He searched frantically in the bag, until he found a packet of M'n'M's. Grabbing the yellow pack, he hurried back towards Maria. The poor Diva hadn't stopped sobbing, and she still had her hand covering her mouth, while her other hand held the bottle of water Jeff had thrown at her before running to his duffel bag.

"Here you go! M'n'M's! That should make you happy…" He tried handing her the candy, looking hopeful. Then he quickly pulled his hand back towards him. "Wait! I don't think Vince would be too happy with me feeding you junk… Oh! I think I saw some oranges in the mini bar! I'll go get-"

He suddenly stooped mid-sentence when he heard a small giggle. He looked towards Maria; she had a very tear-stained face, but her crying was beginning to slow down. She lowered her hand, and he could see a small, almost invisible smile on her face. She let out a small laugh at Jeff's shocked expression.

"You're laughing!" He yelled instantly, the words escaping his mouth.

"Well spotted…" She replied softly.

Jeff's confusion had reached a new level. A mere few minutes ago, she was crying her heart out. And now she was laughing and smiling at him. The situation was beginning to get too complicated for Jeff to understand.

"Is it… Is it the M'n'M's that made you stop crying…?"

"No…" She let out another small giggle. "It was you. I don't cry a lot, but when I do people don't usually run around giving me M'n'M's and oranges to make me feel better!"

Jeff contemplated her answer for a few seconds, and then began laughing himself. He'd just realized how comic the situation was.

"Yeah, sorry about that… I freaked out a little I guess."

Maria smiled, and pointed to the table behind him.

"Could you give me that pack of tissues behind you please?"

"Sure."

He took the tissues from the table, and before handing them to her he looked at them thoughtfully.

"Why didn't I think of this before!?"

At that, they both laughed together. Maria wiped her mascara-stained face, and looked at Jeff. She'd just realized what a nice guy he was. Instead of letting her cry alone in her corner like most men would have done, he went out of his way to try and cheer her up. And even though he went at it the wrong way, it was sweet of him. In fact, all he'd ever done since their night in Toronto was to try and be nice with her. And all she'd do was blow him off.

"Hey Jeff…" She began slowly. "Thank you for all this."

"You mean the bottle of water and M'n'M's? Personally, I don't think they were very useful in your case." He joked around, even though he did feel a little stupid at how irrational he'd acted.

"They were! I mean, you made me laugh. You made me feel better… So thank you."

At that moment, they both felt that being stuck to one another for the next coming months wouldn't be that torturous after all.

The Rainbow-Haired-Warrior smiled at her.

"You're welcome Maria."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There you go, chapter 8 !! Hope you all enjoyed it :)

And that last scene was my favorite so far… I don't know if you noticed, but I made a similar chapter in my other story Love in All Its forms. It was one of my favorite moments, so I thought I'd make a similar one between Jeff and Maria. 

_Preview: Maria gives Jeff a peace offering…_

Please let me know what you think ! 


	9. New Things

Ever Fallen in Love

Ever Fallen in Love

Author's Note:

Thank you all so much for the reviews!! I hope you keep them coming :)

Now, on with the story :) Enjoy!

Chapter Nine : New Things

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next morning when Jeff woke up, he stumbled to the bathroom half asleep and took a nice long shower. It was the only way to make him really come alive after a few hours of deep sleep. When he'd done cleaning himself, he took a towel and rapped it around his waist. At that moment he remembered that he now had a female room-mate living with him, and that the last time he'd stepped out of the bathroom half naked in her presence, their conversation didn't go too well. In fact she was so angry that morning, she even insinuated that he was horrible in bed. Jeff frowned at the memory. He slipped his boxers and large T-Shirt back on so as to not cause a scene with Maria again, especially since he had only gotten on her good side since the night before.

But when he stepped into the suite, the Diva was nowhere in sight. Figuring that she had probably gone down for breakfast with her friends, Jeff jumped on the couch and decided to watch some TV. A couple of minutes later, he heard the door to the hotel-room open and someone step inside. He turned around and found Maria walking in. She was smiling from ear to ear, and had a small plastic bag in her hand.

"Hey Jeff!" She said cheerfully, as she took a seat next to him on the couch. He was surprised to see that she had returned to her bubbly self once again. Since their little bonding moment from the night before, he'd expected her to be nicer to him, but not _this_ nice. It looked like she was actually happy to see him. And Jeff didn't mind one bit. But he'd gotten so used to her being cold and standoffish with him in the last couple of weeks, that he'd never expected her to act like the lovely Maria he once knew. But she was, and he couldn't be happier about it.

"Did you just wake up?"

"Yeah I did…" He smiled at her. "Where were you?"

"Oh, I went to get you this!" She handed him the plastic bag she'd gotten with her, a huge smile on her face.

"You got me something?"

"Yep! It's another way of saying thank you for cheering me up last night."

"Maria, that's really sweet of you…" Jeff smiled at her, yet he felt uncomfortable that she had actually gotten him a gift. He definitely hadn't expected her to be _this_ nice. "But you didn't have to buy me anything…"

She laughed again, and forced the bag onto his lap.

"I didn't _buy_ it! It's just something I found in my old make-up purse, and I think you'll like it."

Jeff gave her a questioning look, especially since she'd just told him that the gift was from her old make-up purse. He opened the bag and found a small hair-coloring product.

"I know it's not your usual type of color, but from what I hear Jeff Hardy is always up for new things…"

"Yeah he definitely is!" Jeff replied, looking at the pink hair colorant she had just offered him. "I like it! Thanks Maria…"

"No problem! And I'm the one who should say thank you,_ again_." Jeff tried to interrupt her from apologizing once more, but she cut him off and continued talking. "And not just for last night... You've been really nice to me. At least you've been trying to… you know, ever since _that_ night." She let out an uncomfortable chuckle and shrugged her shoulders. "And the whole time I've been really bitchy to you. So I'm sorry about that…"

"It's ok… Honesty, don't worry about it."

They were both sincere in what they said, and it showed through their smiles.

"And since we're going to be stuck together for a while, we might as well get along, right?"

"I agree with you one hundred percent." He answered and stretched out his hand for her to shake. "Friends?"

She shook his hand enthusiastically.

"Friends!"

"Now I just have one question…"

"And what might that be?" She asked and quirked an eyebrow.

"Why the hell did you have pink hair color in your make-up bag?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Maria backed up against the turnbuckle, and put her arms in front of her protectively. She was scared… and it wasn't an act. Even though she had to look like the damsel in distress, she actually did feel like one as the Samoan Bulldozer approached her menacingly. Even the roaring Monday Night crowd didn't reassure her, nor did JR and King's familiar comments. Of course, all of this was supposed to happen. Umaga was doing his job by interrupting her match and threatening to attack her, but the writers didn't tell her if he would actually proceed in hurting her. But Umaga had a reputation of being a bit aggressive backstage as well, and that did not put Maria at ease. Not one bit. All she knew was that Jeff had to come out and save her… eventually.

_But when: after or before this crazy man knocks__ me unconscious? _

She had no idea about her own fate, until Umaga grabbed her by the hair. She screamed out of true fear, and tried to fight him off. He replied by seizing her neck and lifting her off her feet, to the fan's boos and disapproval. Maria could hardly breathe, as she felt the tears prickling her eyes: he was going to give her the Samoan Spike. She shut her eyes, preparing herself for the harsh reality of things to come…

Suddenly she heard the crowd jump to their feet, and before she could open her eyes she felt someone throw them self on Umaga. It was Jeff.

The Samoan Bulldozer dropped her like a rag doll, and she immediately crawled to the corner of the ring, trying to steady her breathing. The fear and the pain were slowly dissipating. She looked up at Jeff attacking Umaga viciously, and couldn't help but smile. She liked the idea that he was kicking the big man's ass in order to protect her, even though it was all staged.

After a few minutes, the younger Hardy managed to Swanton bomb Umaga and throw him out of the ring. He then walked towards Maria, and as planned, extended his hand for her to take. They gave each other a knowing smile as he helped her to her feet, and the crowd went crazy when he casually wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"Look at that JR!! It looks like Maria and Jeff Hardy have a little something going on!"

"I have to agree with you for once King. After saving her from Umaga and helping her out of the ring, I have to say they look like a little more than just friends to me…"

JR and King kept commentating enthusiastically on Jeff and Maria as the two Superstars walked down the ramp. Before going backstage, Maria decided to play her part and slowly slipped her arm around Jeff's waist, much to the crowd's approval. They exited the stage and once behind the curtains, she put her arm back to her side. Jeff, on the other hand, kept his firmly around her shoulders.

"That went well! I think the crowd likes us together-"

He was cut short by Maria's small, yet painful, slap to his stomach.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"For making me wait so long!" She yelled, half serious and half joking. "Do you have any idea how scared I was? No one told me what Umaga was supposed to do to me, and I imagined the worse! And of course, you had to wait 'til the very last second to come and save me…"

"Of course I did! It's all about the element of surprise…"

"Element of surprise…" She rolled her eyes at him. "Next time, put your element of surprise to the side please. I was really scared out there!"

He responded by slightly squeezing her shoulder, and giving her a small wink.

"Don't be. I've got you're back from now on…"

The Diva smiled. After that last sentence, she felt something different in her. It was a moment she'd always remember, because for the first time in a very long time, Maria felt safe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There you go! I hope you enjoyed!

And thank you all for the reviews… Jeff is a sweetheart isn't he? ;)

Here's a little preview for what's next…

_Maria causes Jeff a little physical pain…_

Please leave a review!!


	10. Whispers in the Night

Ever Fallen in Love

Ever Fallen in Love

Author's Note:

JEFF IS BACK !!

Thank you all so much for the reviews!! I hope you keep them coming :)

Now, on with the story :) Enjoy!

Chapter Ten : Whispers in the Night

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Maria was pulled out of her deep sleep by a loud and annoying noise coming a few feet away from her. She groaned, and knew without even opening her eyes what had just woken her up. It was Jeff' snoring, _again_.In the past two weeks that they had been sharing hotel-rooms, it was the fourth time that her sleep had been interrupted by his snoring. She pulled the covers over her head, hoping the irritating noise would go away… but it only got louder.

Maria slipped out of her bed, and stumbled towards Jeff's side of the room. Her body was still in complete sleep-mode, and her eyes were half shut, but she knew that she had to get the Rainbow-Haired-Warrior to simply be quiet.

"Jeff." She mumbled, as she poked his sleeping body with the very little force she had in her. When he didn't react, she managed to poke him harder. "Jeff!"

"Hmm." She heard him answer, his face stuffed in pillows.

"You're snoring too loud."

"Hmm."

She wasn't sure that he had heard her, nonetheless understood her, but he had stopped snoring and that was good enough for Maria.

She slowly walked back to her bed, and went under the covers. Finally she could rest again. But a few minutes later, just when the sleep started to kick in, the snoring came back.

Maria felt the rage rise up in her chest, and before she could control herself, she grabbed a pillow and threw it forcefully straight at Jeff. The younger Hardy was in the process of turning to his side, when the pillow came crashing to his face and sent him off the bed. He landed loudly on the ground and banged his head against the floor.

"Jeff?!" Maria yelled, after hearing him fall off the bed. All her need for sleep disappeared as she rushed to his side. "Jeff! Are you ok?!"

He didn't understand what had happened. All he knew was that while he slept peacefully, a pillow suddenly sent him flying to the floor. Now here he was on the ground, his head aching and Maria hovering over him. He could tell, despite the darkness of the room, that she was worried.

"Huh?"

"Jeff! Oh Jesus… are you ok?!" She asked in a panicked voice. "I'm so sorry! Jeff! Are you okay?"

He started to understand the situation, as the sleepiness was replaced by a vicious migraine.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine…"

"No you're not! Oh my God! I'm going to call an ambulance okay?"

"Maria it's okay!" He replied softly. He would have laughed at her state of complete stress if his head wasn't hurting so much. "I'm fine. You don't have to call an ambulance."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah I'm sure. Trust me, its not falling off a bed that's gonna put Jeff Hardy in an ambulance." He tried to lighten the situation, as he slowly pulled himself back onto the bed. Maria quickly grabbed his arm to make sure he didn't fall. Jeff couldn't help but chuckle a little at the way she was panicking around him.

"You're head doesn't hurt too much?"

"No, just a little. I might have a nasty bruise on the head tomorrow, but I'll be fine."

She gently put her hand over his forehead. Her nurturing instincts then kicked in as she pulled the covers over him, as he snuggled once more into the pillows.

"I'm really sorry Jeff… I didn't mean to hurt you like that. I feel terrible..."

"No don't be. I'm okay Maria, don't worry about me." He smiled at her and gently squeezed her hand. Somehow he liked the attention she was giving him, considering the fact she couldn't stand the sight of him only a few weeks ago. But he still felt bad to see her so worried, and for something so simple. "You can go back to sleep. I wont fall in a coma or anything, don't worry."

She managed a small smile and nodded. She slowly made her way back to her bed, still feeling a little guilty about what she did to Jeff. After a few minutes, she heard him whisper softly.

"Just don't throw anything at me please."

This time, her smile grew wider.

"…As long as you don't snore."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Jeff is so hot!"

Maria rolled her eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time, as Kelly Kelly kept on expressing her "feelings" for The Rainbow-Haired-Warrior. They were sitting in the bar of the hotel, accompanied by a few other Divas. And the whole time, the ECW Diva could only talk about Jeff Hardy.

"I mean Maria, I can't believe you haven't screwed him by now!"

"It's not because they share the same room that they have to have sex Kelly!" Candice Michelle put in, in order to make Kelly Kelly shut up before her good friend Maria did it for her. "But I have to agree on something… Jeff is really hot. And you're with him 24/7…" The former Women's Champion continued, as she gave Maria a knowing look. "So are you sure nothing's going on between you guys?"

"Yes, I'm sure Candice." She replied calmly, yet firmly. She discretely looked over at Jeff's table, where he was sitting with Randy Orton and John Cena. Her heart dropped as she noticed him holding his head in his hands, looking burned out.

_His__ head must still hurt from last night…_

"Maria?"

"Yeah!" She quickly replied, as she snapped out of her thoughts. "So I was saying… Nothing's going on between me and Jeff. We get along great and we laugh all the time and everything, but it stops there. We're just friends."

"That's what they always say at first…" Melina said, as she took a sip of her martini.

"If Maria says there's nothing going on, then there's nothing going on!" Kelly interfered angrily. "And besides, Jeff isn't going to stay single for long. Not when I'm done with him, if you know what I mean… So Maria, don't start getting attached to him now."

Maria had enough of the ditzy blonde's constant comments. The way she talked about Jeff really pissed her off. She stood up, and grabbing her purse she went towards the men's table. They all smiled at her when they saw her approaching them. All except for the younger Hardy, who was busy massaging his temples.

"Hey guys! Jeff, are you okay?"

He looked up at her, and gave her a small smile.

"I'm okay, but I think I got a migraine coming up. It hurts like a bitch."

"Oh damn it! It's because of last night isn't it…?" Maria said, looking upset.

"Last night?" John smirked, and put up an eyebrow.

"It's not like that John! I just accidentally pushed him off the bed and-"

"The bed?" Randy put in, looking as mischievous as John Cena.

"Get your minds out of the gutter you two!" Jeff exclaimed, even though he found their friend's curiosity amusing. "Maria threw a pillow at me last night, from _her_ bed, and I ended up landing on my ass and bumping my head."

"…Which I'm really sorry for by the way!"

The four Superstars laughed, even though Maria still felt terribly guilty and Jeff thought his head would explode.

"Ok guys, I'm gonna call it a night." Jeff said and stood up. "I think some sleep might do me some good."

"All right man, see you tomorrow."

"I'm coming with you." Maria stated.

"Its okay Maria, I'll be fine." Jeff told her sympathetically as they walked away from John and Randy's table, and towards the elevators. He didn't want to ruin her evening because he had a headache. "You can go back to your friends if you want."

"And listen to Kelly Kelly talk about how horny she is?! No, I think I'd rather stay with you."

"Did you say horny? I think I'll be the one going back to your friends after all…"

Maria slapped him playfully across the arm, but immediately pulled back out of fear or hurting him again. They both burst out in laughter at her sudden gesture, and kept joking around until they made it back to the hotel room. Once inside, Maria went straight to her "pharmacy" kit to get Jeff an aspirin. She poured him some water and put both items on his bedside table while he changed in the bathroom. When he'd done, she took her favorite short shorts and baggy T-Shirt and went to change herself. A few minutes later she stepped out of the bathroom in her pajamas, and found Jeff already snuggled in bed. She thought he was asleep until she heard him whisper her name.

"Maria?"

"That's me." She replied, as she went to sit in the small space between Jeff's body and the edge of his bed.

There was a comfortable silence between them, as Jeff worked up the nerve to ask her something that had been on his mind for quite some time.

"Why were you crying that night…?" He asked softly.

"What night?"

"… The first night we really talked. Remember, with the oranges and the candy and me freaking out…?"

"Oh, that night…" She giggled, even though she dreaded the subject of conversation they were about to aboard. "How could I forget? It was pretty memorable."

Silence again. This time it was Maria building up the courage to speak.

"I thought you'd figured out why I was crying…"

"I have a pretty good idea, but I'm not sure. And I didn't wanna ask you 'til now in case you weren't ready to talk about it… And if you're still not, I can understand-"

"It was the night Phil officially ended it with me."

She'd just opened up to him. It was a rare thing for her to do: she was an extremely friendly person, but the former backstage interviewer did not open up to people easily. Even though most of the roster knew why Maria and CM Punk "broke up", she only told the full story to very few people. People very close to her, people that she trusted… And for some reason, she felt that she could trust Jeff Hardy. There was something about him that made her feel comfortable, and at ease.

"He basically told me that he didn't want anything to do with me any more, that he didn't even want to see me…" She continued in a low voice, as she looked down at the floor.

"He's an idiot."

Maria looked up at him, surprised by how quickly he'd taken her defense, and how serious he sounded. Yet somehow, she felt as if she had to speak on Phil's behalf.

"No he isn't. He had every right to react the way he did. I mean, I slept with someone else while we were supposed to be together…" She said nervously. It was the first time she and Jeff directly spoke about their drunken night together. "And then, to make it all worse, I was put in a "romantic storyline" with that very person I cheated on him with… I understand why he doesn't want to see me."

"I still think he's an idiot. Everyone's entitled to a second chance. And you two weren't even together yet anyway! He let go of a great, great thing before he even had the chance to make it his… That's a big loss if you ask me."

He looked her straight in the eyes while he told her exactly what he thought. Maria was touched by his words.

"That's sweet of you Jeff…"

"I wasn't trying to be sweet. I was just saying the truth…"

He smiled at her, and buried his head deeper into the pillows. Maria stayed next to him, as she watched him drift off. After a few minutes she thought he'd fallen asleep. And for some reason unknown to her, she bent down and gently kissed his forehead.

Closing the light from his bedside table, she stood up and crawled into her own bed. It was a good thing the lights were out, because Maria didn't see a small smile slip onto Jeff's face.

After all, it was a nice feeling when a beautiful woman silently kissed you goodnight.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

There you have it! Chapter 10 )

And I can't believe I'm already on the tenth chapter… Time passes quickly. And you're reviews motivate to write more!!

Here's a little preview for what's next:

_It's a fun night out for all the WWE Superstars… Well, it was supposed to be fun until Jeff, Maria and CM Punk find themselves in the same club. _

Please leave a review!!


	11. Party People

Ever Fallen in Love

Ever Fallen in Love

Author's Note:

Thank you all so much for the reviews!! They mean so much! 

I hope you keep them coming :)

By the way, even though Torrie and Trish Stratus are sadly not part of the WWE anymore, they're still considered as Divas in this story,

Enjoy!

Chapter Eleven : Party People

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Matt! You cheated!"

The older Hardy brother replied by pressing L1 on his remote stick, which lead to the virtual Matt Hardy on the screen applying a Twist of Fate on the virtual Jeff Hardy. The referee went for the three-count, and once again Matt kicked his brother's ass on the Smackdown vs. Raw 2008 PS3 game.

"You were saying?"

"Man I know you cheat! It's not possible you win every time!" Jeff let out an exasperated sigh, and threw his controller on the bed. If there was one thing the Rainbow-Haired-Warrior couldn't stand, it was losing… even with video games.

"Jeff, its okay baby brother…" Matt said in a mock-soothing voice, knowing it would infuriate the younger Hardy. "You can't be good in everything you do. It's okay that you can't beat me, it's perfectly natural."

"Perfectly natural my ass! We're playing again!"

"Jeff, we've been playing for three hours! Just face it: I'm just better than you with video games."

"Oh we'll see about that…" Jeff replied, with a determined look on his face.

A few seconds after their "match" had started again, the hotel-room's door flew open and in walked Maria, followed by her best friend Mickie James. They both had about seven shopping bags in their hands, and greeted the Hardy Boyz with huge smiles.

"Hey guys!"

"Hey." They both replied in robotic voices, as they were fully concentrated on the TV screen.

"I love how Jeff _always_ ignores me when he's playing that stupid game."

At the mention of stupid, Jeff pressed on the pause button and finally looked up at Maria.

"You're only saying that 'cause you're not in the game…"

Maria rolled her eyes playfully.

"Even without being in the game, I kick your ass every time we play it."

Matt gave his brother an incredulous look, and violently smacked him over the head.

"You even get beat by a girl?! Shame on you!"

They all laughed… all except for Jeff, whose ego had once again been squished by Maria.

"I'm going to go try on the dress for tonight!" She said happily, as she walked off towards the bathroom. "Good luck with the game Jeff: you really need it!"

He answered her with a sarcastic smile, as she closed the door to get changed. Mickie went and sat between the brothers, and started begging for a controller.

"Can I please play?! I'm very good!"

"Yeah, you can take Matt's stick and-"

"What? You want another Diva to beat you up in a PS3 match? I don't think so. The Hardy name doesn't need to suffer any more 'cause of you."

Jeff went to hit his brother's shoulder, when the Woman's Champion violently grabbed his hair and pulled him back.

"Enough you two! You're acting like kids… big, hairy kids with long hair!" Mickie practically yelled at them as both Jeff and Matt looked at her as if she were an extraterrestrial. "Now give me that remote stick!"

Just as Jeff fearfully handed Mickie what she wanted, Maria opened the bathroom door and stepped out. She had slipped on her new dress for their party this evening. It gracefully hugged her body, reached her knees and fit perfectly around her chest: a sexy, sparkling and night blue colored dress… a beautiful sight to see. And Maria in it made it look breath-taking.

"So what do you think…?"

"WOW! You look gorgeous!!" Mickie exclaimed, as Matt nodded his head enthusiastically.

But no one found her more beautiful than Jeff did. He thought he'd never seen a woman as perfect and flawless in his entire life… And he knew it wasn't just because of the dress. That was only an accessory that added to her natural charm. His heart even skipped a beat. But on the outside, he looked completely indifferent. It wasn't in Jeff's nature to keep his thoughts to himself: he was usually a very expressive person. But something held him back at that moment. He didn't know why, but he felt couldn't bring himself to let Maria know how stunning she was to him.

"You look nice." He simply said, and pressed on the play button to continue his virtual PS3 match. "Good choice."

A small, almost invisible frown crossed Maria's face. She couldn't help but feel upset by his reaction. She'd looked forward to showing off her new outfit; and to Jeff more than anyone else. For some reason, she'd secretly hoped that he'd love it.

_I guess not…_

Only Mickie noticed the subtle look of disappointment on her friend's face. Jeff would have noticed it too, if he wasn't so focalized on the TV screen. But Maria didn't want any sort of awkwardness in the room. In a blink of an eye, she made herself look like the fun and ever-so-optimistic Maria that everyone was used to.

After all, Jeff wasn't the only one who could keep his feelings to himself.

"Ok, well I'm going to take a shower!" She said in the best cheerful voice she could muster. "And when I come out, you should all start getting ready. The party's in a few hours… and I know Jeff needs more time than that to get his hair and nail polish ready!"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

By the time Jeff did get ready, it was already quarter to midnight. He needed some extra time to tie his hair back, and make it look neat and classy. After all, Vince had organized a night-out for his WWE Superstars at one of the hottest and trendiest clubs in Kansas City, where their latest Raw event would take place. It was only at times like these that Jeff really made an effort to look more "elegant", what with his multi-colored hair and all that.

When Jeff, Maria, Mickie and Matt arrived at the club, they were immediately taken to the V.I.P circle, where the party was already in full-swing mode. Only WWE Superstars had access to the private corner. It consisted of four big tables with an astronomical amount of alcohol to consume… which was going down pretty fast by the time the Hardy's and the two Divas reached the V.I.P section. They were seated in the table along with John Cena, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, Shawn Michaels, Torrie Wilson, Chris Jericho, Trish Stratus, Dave Batista, Randy Orton and his wife, the former WWE Diva Stacy Keibler, and… to Jeff's big surprise, the Undertaker. The Phenom immediately spotted the Rainbow-Haired-Warrior, and gave him the same icy-cold stare he'd given him at the Candy Shop of the Airport. A little surprised, Jeff quickly put the bizarre Undetaker at the back of his mind and focused on Maria. They'd both acted slightly distant with each other since she'd showed them her dress, and that was starting to bug him. He knew what if felt like to be on Maria's bad side, and he really didn't want to go there again. But more than anything, he didn't want to see her upset.

Just as they were passing between the large tables to make it to their own, Jeff slipped his hand on Maria's waist. He leaned towards her ear and spoke loud enough to be heard above the music.

"You look amazing tonight Maria."

She looked him straight in the eyes, and he could tell that his compliment had happily surprised her. And indeed it had: Maria thought that Jeff didn't care less about the way she looked that night, so to hear him say that she looked "amazing" really lifted her spirits up. She offered him a huge smile.

But their small moment was interrupted when Maria spotted CM Punk. He was standing at the table opposite her, along with some of the ECW Superstars. But unlike the Extremists, who were dancing and drinking and enjoying themselves, CM Punk was just standing there, glaring at Maria. She could tell, even through the darkness of the club, that he still hadn't forgotten how much she'd hurt him. She immediately pulled away from Jeff, and went to sit next to Torrie and Stacy, without looking at the younger Hardy or at the Straight-Edge Superstar.

Jeff went to stand with the men, feeling a little confused at what had just happened. One second she was beaming and smiling at him, and the next she was literally running away.

"Hi Jeff!" He was pulled out of his thoughts when Kelly Kelly rushed over to him and tugged his arm. "I'm so glad you could make it! You want a drink?"

"Nah I'm good for now." He replied with a small smile, hoping that she'd stop hogging him. "Thanks."

"Ok! Well do you want to dance?"

"No thanks, I'm fine right here as well."

"Ok! Well I'm going to hit the dance floor! Join me later…"

She winked at him seductively, and made her way to the dance floor along with the other Divas. He leaned over the V.I.P corner, and was immediately joined by some of the other male Superstars. They were all looking over their respective ladies: John had his eye on Torrie, Randy was looking over his wife Stacy, Chris had his attention on Trish, and Jeff… Well, Jeff was only looking at Maria.

The Divas on the other hand, weren't paying attention to their men whatsoever. Even Maria had forgotten that Punk was there, as she danced to the beat with her friends. They formed a tight circle at the center of the stage, as they danced and laughed and had fun. All the men in the club were dying to dance with them, but they all knew that practically each of the Divas had a big, male wrestler keeping an eye on them. But not all the men in the club were conscious of that. One particularly drunken average man had his eye on Maria. He approached her and slipped his hands on her waist. She pulled away, but the man kept grabbing her from behind, trying to dance with her… almost in an aggressive manner. Then he did the mistake of putting his hand on her ass.

Maria turned to slap the living daylights out of him, but before she had the chance to do so she saw him violently thrown to the floor. Everyone backed away, as Jeff Hardy stood over the man, ready to punch him. But Jeff wasn't the only one on Maria's defense, unfortunately. She saw CM Punk standing in front of the Rainbow-Haired Warrior. He also had his eyes on the drunken pervert… And at the same moment, both Jeff and Punk looked up and noticed each other. A scowl formed on both their faces.

"What do you think you're doing Hardy?" CM Punk yelled at him, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"I was watching out for Maria!" Jeff retorted, getting just as angry as the ECW Superstar.

"Why would you do that? You're in no position to watch over her. You're not her boyfriend-"

"And you are?!"

"Stop it you guys!" Maria interfered, as she placed herself between the two men before things got out of hand.

CM Punk snickered, and gave the Diva a nasty one-over.

"Look at that Maria: you're trying to avoid a problem. Don't you think you already cause enough of those without even trying?"

"Don't talk to her like that!" Jeff shouted angrily.

"It's okay Jeff, let's just go."

Maria's voice almost trembled. The comment CM Punk had just given her had really hurt her. She never expected him to be so mean, especially not in public.

"That's right Jeff, go follow you're little girlfriend. Maybe she'll reward you in bed later on."

Jeff snapped. If Maria hadn't held him back, he would have pounded on the Straight-Edge Superstar. He was infuriated, and Maria had to put in all her physical strength in order to push him away from CM Punk.

"Please Jeff let's just go! Please!"

Tears formed in her eyes, as she begged him to come with her. And it was only the pleading and desperate tone in her voice that got him to slowly follow her.

He gave CM Punk one last long glare, before following Maria out of the club.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There you go! Chapter 11. Hope you all enjoyed it !!

And I just want to point out that in reality, I love CM Punk. I doubt he'd ever talk to a woman the way I made him talk to Maria. 

Just like with Edge, they're two Superstars that I adore, and I'm only painting them out as jerks for the sake of the story. 

Here's a little preview of what's coming next. 

_Maria and Jeff get in a heated argument, just as their storyline together becomes more important…_

Please leave a review!! Thanks! 


	12. By His Side

Ever Fallen in Love

Ever Fallen in Love

Author's Note:

Thank you all so much for the reviews!! They mean so much! 

I hope you keep them coming :)

Enjoy!

Chapter Twelve : By His Side

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The road back to the hotel was traveled in complete silence. Maria couldn't bring herself to talk: she still felt too taken aback by the way CM Punk had treated her. She'd never seen the darker side of him before. But instead of being angry, she just felt hurt. Jeff on the other hand was very angry. He hadn't said a word since she'd pulled him out of the club, because his blood was boiling too much for him to do so. He practically never got worked up that easily: his personality had always been very easy-going and patient. But disrespect was something he could never tolerate. He just couldn't stand the way CM Punk had talked to him, and he definitely couldn't stand the way he had talked to Maria.

Once they reached their hotel-room, Jeff Hardy finally snapped.

"That guy is an asshole!"

Maria sighed. She was hoping to not have to talk about what happened in the nightclub.

"He's not. He just-"

"He just nothing Maria! He was a total ass with you, with me and with everyone else!"

"It's because he got angry! It pissed him off to see us walk in together, and then-"

"Why the fuck are you defending him!!" Jeff yelled louder than he'd wanted to. The fact that Maria was still standing up for CM Punk made him even more furious. "You're always defending him! And what does he do in return? He treats you like shit!"

Maria felt tears forming in her eyes, because of the way Jeff was talking to her, and because of what he was saying. But she held them back and stood her ground. She didn't want to get pushed around twice in one night.

"You have no right to talk to me like that..."

"And neither does CM Punk. But that doesn't seem to bother you much now does it?"

Now Maria was angry.

"What is wrong with you Jeff? Who the hell do you think you are, telling me how I can and can't react with my ex-boyfriend?!"

"You're ex-boyfriend? You're ex-fuck friend I think you mean!"

Her jaw dropped. She couldn't believe Jeff had actually gone there. Too enraged to form words, she marched off towards her cupboard. She then turned around and walked back to the younger Hardy, anger written across her face.

"Not that's it's any of you're business, but me and Phil never slept together!" She yelled in his face, and walked back towards the cupboard before once again stomping back to Jeff. "But we would have if I wasn't _stupid_ enough to have sex with you!!"

This time, she walked off and didn't turn back to face him. She violently started grabbing some of her clothes.

"What do you think you're doing?" Jeff asked rudely. The comment Maria had given him was like a slap to his face. "I don't know if you remember or not, but Vince is forcing us to stay in the same room! So I don't think you sleeping over somewhere else is a very good idea."

"I'll just tell him you had the flu or something, so I spent the night with Mickie and Candice." She replied coldly, her back still turned to him as she gathered her pajamas.

"Mickie and Candice are still clubbing. What are you gonna do: wait outside their hotel room 'til they get back?"

"That's exactly what I'm going to do!" She almost screamed, having had enough of Jeff Hardy. "I'd rather wait in the hallway than wait in your presence!!"

With that said, she gave him one long last glare and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

As she walked off, she heard Jeff kick a chair to the floor.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Please welcome, from Chicago Illinois… Maria!" Lillian Garcia announced to the Raw crowd, as Maria appeared from behind the curtains.

She was greeted to a standing ovation, as she blew kisses to the fans and jogged down the ramp. Instead of entering the ring, she made her way towards the announcer's table, much to King and JR's delight. She was to sit through Jeff Hardy's match against Umaga.

"Maria! It's great to have you here with us for this match-up!" King exclaimed happily.

"It's good to be here King." She replied with a smile.

But in reality, Maria wished she could be somewhere else. She really didn't want to commentate on Jeff's match, and say nice things about him because their storyline asked her to. She hadn't seen him since their argument from the night before, and nor did she want to.

_And now I have to act like I have __a crush on him… Ugh, I hate Mr. McMahon!_

Suddenly Jeff's music hit the speakers, and the fans went crazy. They got even crazier when he stepped on the ramp, and made his signature dance.

"…Another standing ovation for Jeff Hardy! There is not one fan Jeff doesn't get on his feet JR!"

Everyone cheered, as the Daredevil of the WWE climbed on the turnbuckle. He posed for the crowd, and then his eyes fell on Maria, sitting at ringside. He offered her a small smile: whether it was scripted or not, she didn't care. She smiled back, but in her case she knew she was only smiling at him for the sake of the storyline. If it was up to her, she wouldn't even be looking at him. She couldn't stand him at the moment; not after the things he'd said to her the night before.

"So Maria, a lot of talk has been going about you and Jeff Hardy these past couple of weeks… You've accompanied him to the ring on numerous occasions, and he's _still _feuding with Umaga. I don't think these two would still be battling each other if it wasn't because of that time he saved you from the Samoan Bulldozer-"

"In other words, JR wants to know if there's something going on between you and Jeff Hardy! We all want to know!"

She discretely looked at Jeff begin his match with Umaga, and gave the announcers a timid look, just like she was supposed to.

"No, nothing's going on between me and Jeff. We're just good friends…" She answered, remembering her script. Vince had made it clear what he wanted from them for this week's Raw: they couldn't admit to liking each other, at least not yet. But they had to show it, by giving each other cute looks, nice compliments, and all those icky things Maria did not want to do.

The match went on, as did the very animated discussions between King, JR and Maria. After about ten minutes, Umaga had Jeff cornered against the turnbuckle, ready to give him the Samoan Splash. Maria knew that was her cue. She got up and grabbed her chair. And to the crowd's surprise, as well as that of the commentators and Umaga, she crept up behind the Samoan Bulldozer and swung the chair against his head. Umaga was immediately knocked "unconscious", and Jeff crawled on top of him for the three-count.

"And you're winner, Jeff Hardy!!"

The crowd cheered for the Rainbow-Haired-Warrior, as the referee raised his arm up in victory. Maria waited in the corner for Jeff to come and give her their scripted hug… something she was really dreading.

Finally, he pulled her to the center of the ring and looked her straight in the eyes. Maria looked down, and wrapped her arms around him to get their "hug" done and over with. After a few seconds she tried to pull back, but only felt Jeff's arms tighten their grip around her. He drew his face closer to hers.

"I'm sorry…" He whispered to her ear.

Those two words were enough to make Maria's anger blow away. His apology came from the heart. And it had touched her. Her fake smile grew into a real one, as she let herself melt into Jeff's hug. They stayed in that position longer than what the writers had planned, but they didn't care. The fans were loving it, and so were they.

And that was not part of the storyline.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Here you go Chapter 12 !! I hope you liked it )

By the way, do any of you know where I can find some nice fics about Maria and Jeff? Cause I've only read three good ones: The Wonder of You, The Seventh Circle and Like A Love Heart. 

Where can I find some other Jeria fics :P HELP. 

Anyways here's a little preview of what's next for my JERIA STORY 

_Jeff gives Maria some personal coaching…_

Leave a review please !!


	13. Hanging By A Moment

Ever Fallen in Love

Ever Fallen in Love

Author's Note:

Thank you all so much for the reviews!! 

You guys are great… and thanks for helping me find some Jeff&Maria fics… I'm gonna check them out! 

Enjoy!

Chapter Thirteen : Hanging By A Moment

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Jeff! Help me up!"

Jeff Hardy rolled his eyes at Maria, as he stayed firmly in his position at the corner of the ring. They had been training for nearly two hours in the empty Raw arena, and Jeff had promised the Diva that he'd teach her how to do a proper Whisper in the Wind. Unfortunately, Maria was proving to be the most difficult student he'd ever seen.

"I'm not helping you climb up that turnbuckle."

"Why not!?" She asked stubbornly.

"Because, Maria, next week in you're match against Beth Phoenix do you really think she's gonna help you up the turnbuckle so you can do a Whisper in the Wind in her face?

"But you're not Beth Phoenix."

"I'm still not helping you up."

"But Jeff-"

"No buts! Now stop being difficult and get on that turnbuckle!"

"Fine." She huffed, as she made her way to the top rope with no problem whatsoever. Once she was standing steadily on it, with her back facing Jeff, the horrible feeling of stress started to kick in. "Ok…" She said slowly, making sure to not lose her balance. "Now what…?"

"Now you do a back-flip, while slowly turning to your side. You know how to do a back-flip right?"

"Not one in the air!"

"Don't worry Maria. It's easier than it sounds. Just make sure you jump high enough, and keep your head held up high."

Maria gulped, but Jeff didn't feel the least bit worried for her. He knew she could do it… He was sure of it. After all if he didn't believe in her, he wouldn't be encouraging her to do a risky high-flying move like The Whisper in the Wind. Now all he needed was for Maria to believe in herself.

"Jeff… What if I can't do it, or I fall or something…?"

"I won't let you get hurt."

The firmness in his voice immediately soothed her. Of course Jeff wouldn't let her get hurt. She trusted him. And she wanted to impress him too.

_Ok… Here goes nothing._

She took a deep breath, and jumped backwards off the top rope. She applied everything Jeff told her too, and she would have done the move perfectly if it all hadn't gone too fast. Before she knew it, she was landing face-first into Jeff's arms, sending them both to the floor. Instead of hitting the mat in a sitting position like she was supposed to, she found herself lying on top of him. They both looked at each other, and immediately burst out laughing.

"You did it!" Jeff said between fits of laughter. His breathing was coming out all the more difficultly because of Maria's body on top of his.

"Please, that was the worst Whisper in the Wind ever!"

"But it was still a Whisper in the Wind! With a little practice it'll be perfect… I knew you could do it!"

Maria giggled, as she stayed in her position on top of Jeff. She felt comfortable, resting in his arms. And he didn't mind one bit.

"I'm proud of you…" He whispered.

Their smiles were slowly fading. They stared into each other's eyes, almost getting lost in them. They temporarily forgot where they were, and what they were doing. Everything seemed to disappear, except for each other. Something was going on between them at that moment, and it wasn't just chemistry…

Their faces were only inches apart, and they were getting closer…

"Uhum..."

Maria and Jeff's moment was interrupted as they jumped up in surprise. She scurried off of him, and they both turned to face the person standing behind them.

…The Undertaker.

"Oh shit! I mean, hi!" Maria stuttered nervously as she got to her feet. "Sorry… Um… we weren't doing anything you know! So-"

"I'd like to train." Taker cut through her. He looked at both Maria and Jeff with those cold, unfriendly eyes. He stepped into the ring in a robotic and intimidating manner, making the Diva unconsciously position herself behind Jeff's back.

"We were just leaving. Ring's all yours man… I mean Undertaker!" He corrected himself immediately, and slipped out of the ring with Maria hurrying behind him. The Deadman had taken off his hat, and stared at the pair until they were all the way up the ramp. When they were far enough from his presence, a small and sneaky smirk crawled onto his face as he stared throwing punches in the air.

Completely unaware of how much fun the Undertaker took in scaring the daylights out of them, Jeff and Maria rushed through the curtains and made it backstage. They let out a sigh of relief.

"I have to admit…" Maria began, as she walked with Jeff towards their locker-room. "…That _that _was even scarier than the back-flip in the air!"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

In the past two months that they had been paired together, Maria knew for fact that Jeff Hardy always took at least half an hour to find their rental car. So as usual, she took her time to pack her belongings in her duffel bag, knowing she still had a while before meeting Jeff in the parking lot. But for once, she appreciated the fact that he was never on time.

She needed to think… and about him.

She couldn't help but wonder about what happened a little earlier on. Or what _would_ have happened if the Undertaker hadn't shown up. They had gotten really close… maybe even too close.

_Would we have kissed?_

The question didn't leave her head as she slowly walked backstage towards the exit. She just couldn't answer it, and that scared her.

_I wouldn't have kissed him. Jeff and I are just friends. Just friends…_

Then why did she feel so drawn to him in that ring? It wasn't just physical attraction. It was something else, something more. And she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Maria!"

She was pulled out of her thoughts when someone a few feet away called for her. She turned around and her heart dropped.

CM Punk was walking towards her.

"Hey Maria…"

Maria tried to regain her composure as he stood right in front of her. She hadn't seen him since that night in the club: the night where she didn't recognize him anymore. And here he was, smiling at her. But it still felt intimidating to see him. She still had feelings for him, after all.

"I was looking for you."

"What for?" She asked, obviously surprised. All the anger she'd seen in him lately seemed to have disappeared. He was talking to her in that soft and endearing voice again.

"For a lot of things… First of all I wanted to apologize. I was out of line with you at Kansas, when we were clubbing. And even before that, I said some terrible things… So I'm sorry."

Maria smiled. It felt so good to hear him apologize; to see him back to normal.

"Apology accepted! I'm glad you don't hate me anymore."

"Of course I don't hate you! And that brings me to the second thing I wanted to ask you…"

"Which is…?"

"I wanted to know if you'd like to go have dinner some time… So we can catch up…?"

One week ago, Maria would have accepted his offer in a heartbeat, even after the way he'd acted with her. But now, something held her back.

"I don't think dinner would be such a good idea Phil…"

"Oh…" He said, obviously looking disappointed. "Ok then. It's alright…"

"I'm sorry, but I can't just forget everything that happened. There's too much tension between us, and I know I'm mostly to blame for it. But still… It's too soon for us to have dinner together."

"Yeah, yeah you're right. It's too soon. I understand…"

"Ok." She said softly. "I got to go. I'll see you around I guess!"

"Yeah, see you… Maria, wait!"

She turned to face him again. His face had softened up even more.

"I don't want you to forget about me…" He admitted, his voice sounded pleading.

"I won't."

She gave him a small kiss on the cheek, and continued on her way towards the exit. She felt more confused than before.

Of course she was happy to have "made peace" with CM Punk. She was even happier that he'd come to his senses. He had even offered to go on some sort of date with her… and she refused.

_We might have gotten back together… I knew that, and I __still said no._

She wasn't even sure why.

Maria stepped out of the building, and to her surprise she found Jeff standing in front of their rental car.

"You're on time!" She squealed as she approached him.

"I told you I was getting better! So maybe now you'll start believing me."

He smiled at her, and stepped inside the driver's seat.

For some reason, at that moment Maria knew she'd done a good thing by turning down CM Punk.

She smiled to herself and stepped inside the passenger's seat.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There you go! I hope you enjoyed it!

Here's a little preview of what I've got in store for you ;)

_Maria and Jeff's romantic storyline __takes an important turn…_

Hope to hear from you in a Review!!


	14. All The Right Words

Ever Fallen in Love

Ever Fallen in Love

Author's Note:

Thank you all so much for the reviews!! 

They're really what keep me going… You guys are great!

PS: Someone asked me about the Undertaker popping up in strange moments… I assure you, I've had this planned all along, and Taker's part in the story is slowly going to get bigger ) 

Enjoy!

Chapter Fourteen : All The Right Words

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jeff Hardy took a huge sip from his cold bottle of water, as he walked backstage the latest Raw arena. He'd just won a brutal and exhausting match against JBL, and all he wanted was to get back to his locker room, and take a nice long shower.

"Yo Jeff!"

The Rainbow-Haired-Warrior turned around to find John Cena jogging towards him, with his little daughter Trisha in one arm.

"Hey man… Hey Trisha!" Jeff smiled at the baby and patted her soft blonde mane. "She's looking more and more like Torrie everyday. The little baby boys are gonna be running after her very soon!"

"Not with John Cena as her dad they won't. Speaking of Torrie, have you seen her anywhere?"

"No I don't think I have. Why?"

"Because _someone…_" John replied, pointing towards Trisha. "Needs a diaper change."

"Man you should do it yourself! Don't you think it's about time you started changing your own kid's diapers?"

"I don't wanna get baby poo all over myself!!"

Jeff quirked an eyebrow, and had to stifle a laugh.

"Please don't tell me you just said _poo_…"

John rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, Torrie banned me from saying bad words in front of the baby…"

"Ok man… just make sure you don't say _poo_ in your face-off against Hunter or something…"

"Whatever Hardy…" John smiled at his friend, and started turning in the other direction when he suddenly remembered something. "By the way funny boy, me and Torrie organized this short trip with Randy and Stacy in a couple of weeks, on this fancy boat. But they cancelled, so we got two free spots. Why don't you and Maria join us?"

"Yeah… I'd love to, but I think a romantic boat trip would require a romantic couple…"

John simply smirked at the high-flying daredevil, and gave him a knowing look.

"You know Hardy, I was living in denial too when I first started falling for Torrie…"

The comment took Jeff by such surprise, that for the first time in a long time he was completely at a loss for words. By the time he came back to his senses, and wanted to protest against John for insinuating that the famous Hardy Boy had fallen for Maria, the former Champ had already rounded the corner with his daughter and was out of sight.

Jeff stood there a little confused for a while. He didn't understand why John's remark had shaken him up so much. Of course, there had been a lot of backstage gossip concerning Jeff and Maria. Some would say that the two had crazy and wild sex all night long. Others would imply that they were madly and insanely in love with each other. And some would even go on to say that they had secretly gotten married, and that Vince paired them up together to make sure they didn't get divorced… a famous rumor that MVP had the honor of sharing with the entire locker-room. But throughout all this talk about them, Jeff and Maria had always laughed about it. They truly found it funny and entertaining.

But when one of your best friends tells you that you're falling for your "room-mate", it tends to freak you out a little.

_Especially when a week before you w__ere on the verge of kissing your room-mate in an empty arena!!_

Jeff sighed, and thought of just dropping the subject. He wasn't going to waste his time questioning feelings for Maria, that he was sure didn't even exist, because John Cena had wanted to be funny.

He continued on his walk back to the locker-room. Unfortunately, thoughts of her were still running stubbornly through his mind. And they didn't go away when he reached his destination, opened the door and found Maria slouched against the wall.

"Maria!" He rushed to her side, panic taking over him. After seeing her sitting against the wall, with her head in her hands, he didn't think twice and assumed she was hurt. "Maria! Are you ok?!"

He shook her shoulder, praying she'd at least look up. She soon did, and a great feeling of relief traveled his body as he noticed she wasn't hurt… at least not physically. But she definitely didn't greet him with a warm smile as she usually did. Her face looked sullen, upset. She had no tears in her eyes, but no signs of happiness either. All he could see was disappointment.

"Maria… Maria what's wrong?" He asked her softly, as he gently put his hand on top of hers.

She took a while to reply. She kept her eyes looking sadly at the floor.

"Remember how I was supposed to start this big rivalry with Beth Phoenix…" She started in a low voice. "How I was supposed to have an "I Quit" match with her at One Night Stand…?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, I just got news that the writers changed their minds. They're putting Melina in the feud instead of me. Apparently, I'm still not "good enough" to be fighting someone as experienced and talented as Beth Phoenix…"

Jeff squeezed her hand a little tighter. He knew how much Maria had wanted this rivalry; she had been so excited for it. And he knew how horrible it felt to have your dream crash and burn.

The look on her face almost broke his heart.

"I worked so hard to get this rivalry Jeff… I wanted it so bad. And just when I thought I had it, the writers decide to take it away from me…" She finally looked him in the eyes, and he could see that she was holding back the urge to cry. "This was my chance to prove that I _can_ be taken seriously. This was my chance to show the world that I am more than just eye-candy. I spent most of my career just looking pretty and dumb and acting like the weaker wrestler, when I'm not like that! I want people to know that I'm better than that! I joined the WWE to wrestle, Jeff… to become the Woman's Champion one day. And this feud would have gotten me one step closer to my dream! But no… after five years of wrestling and training backstage like a workaholic, I'm still not good enough…"

Jeff remained quiet, thinking of ways to make her feel better. In the end, he decided to just be frank with her.

"Maybe you're not good enough _yet_…"

Maria gave him an incredulous look. It was the last thing she wanted, or expected to hear, especially coming from Jeff.

"Maria, listen to me. I've been with you 24/7 for a long time now, and I know that besides being a beautiful and amazing girl, you're also an incredible athlete. I've watched you train, and you have that fire in you that so many Divas don't have anymore. But it takes more that that to be at the top Maria, and five years of training isn't enough for some. I mean, take me for example." He continued, hopping Maria would understand what he was getting at. "I started wrestling for Vince almost ten years ago, and my last main event push was this January." To his relief, she let out a small chuckle. "What I'm trying to say, is that you'll be on top when you're ready to be on top. I know the writers can be bitches some times, but they're qualified enough to know when you're ready. And when you are, they'll give you that big ass rivalry you want so much… And then you'll be one of the greatest Woman's Champions the world has ever seen."

He offered her a sincere smile, and was happy to see it returned. He'd told Maria exactly what he thought, and to both their surprises, she had relatively lightened up.

Jeff had said all the right words.

"You really believe I can be _great_?"

"Of course I do."

"…Why?"

He looked her straight in the eyes.

"…Because I believe in you."

He'd spoken straight from his heart. He believed in Maria more than he believed in himself.

The Diva was beyond touched. No one had ever made her feel as good as Jeff just did. Knowing that he had faith in her just made her want to fight even more… He made her stronger.

She leaned in to hug him. They stayed in each other's arms for a good minute, before finally pulling away.

"I should go… I have a match with Jillian soon."

"Well you go show her what you got."

She smiled at him, and stood up to make her way to the door. She opened it, but before stepping out she turned back to face him. Jeff could tell that something was on her mind. She was struggling with idea of admitting something. In the end, she just smiled.

"Thank you Jeff…"

"Any time." He replied happily, watching her go.

_Damn it feels good to know I can be such a good psychiatrist…_

He did indeed feel good. Not because he'd proven to know what to say, and when to say them… but because he made Maria smile. He'd brought back that little shimmer in her eyes… that little something that made her so special.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When Jeff stepped out of the shower, he turned on the TV and found that Maria's match against Jillian Hall had just started. He watched her walk happily down the ramp, blowing kisses to the fans. He then grabbed his clothes, and stepped back in the bathroom to slip them on while he left the volume of the TV up in order to hear the Divas match.

"Mr. Jeff Hardy!" He suddenly heard someone yell from the other side of the door. "I have an envelope for you from Mr. McMahon's office!"

He rushed to open the door, and found a young backstage crew member holding a big white envelope.

"Thanks man." He said and took the letter, and stepped back in the locker room.

Jeff sat on the couch, just when the screen showed Maria elbowing the blonde wanna-bee singer. He smirked, and opened the envelope.

_Jeff Hardy!_

_I've got news for you kid! Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be happy to hear what I, your big boss has to say…as usual…_

_First of all, sorry I didn't conduct a meeting! I would if I had time, but I'm very busy at the moment. So you'll have to do with this letter. _

_Now, I wanted to talk to you about your angle with Maria! Congratulations, you two are doing great! The people love you! It's building up to be one of the best romantic storylines yet… just as I anticipated. Except for that hug a few weeks ago, that lasted longer than I expected, you two have been following our directions perfectly! Remember how we decided to take the storyline slowly at first… well that went great; now its time to quicken the pace a little. _

_Yes, I've decided that you and Maria are going to be a more "official" couple from now on. So next week…here's the good news my boy…You two are going to share you're first kiss! _

_Oh, I can already smell the ratings… It's going to be a kiss to remember, that__'s for sure. Now I don't want a long, wet make-out session… No no, this first kiss has to be simple. No tongue involved. Just a five second peck on the lips… But it had better be a darn good peck on the lips!_

_But I'm not worried, from what I can tell, you and Maria have a lot of chemistry between you… the funny part is that you don't even notice it! Stupid boy._

_Oh, and one more thing before I leave you to break the news to the lovely Maria… This kiss is going to take place after you're main event match with John Cena… so in the ring in front of a live audience, and the millions of people watching on television. _

_You're one lucky boy Jeff! I hope you know that…_

_Have a good day, Vince. _

Jeff re-read the letter, over and over again. So many thoughts were going through his head: a mixture of confusion, excitement, apprehension… And all these feelings were so strong. They took the younger Hardy by surprise. It was only after reading the letter for a fourth time that the situation started to sink in.

He tore his eyes away from the envelope, and focused on the television screen. Maria had just won the match. The referee took her arm and raised it in victory. He could see the expression of pure happiness all over her face.

At that moment, only one thought went through Jeff's mind. One alarming thought… that somehow inspired a little bit of happiness in him.

_I'm going to kiss her…_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There you go! Chapter 14! Hope you all liked it )

Yes, things are slowly but surely heating up for Jeria… I guess you all know what's coming in the next chapter :P

_The big day comes for Jeff and Maria… the big kiss that they have to share on national television. _

Please leave a review !!


	15. Kiss The Girl

Ever Fallen in Love

Ever Fallen in Love

Author's Note:

Thank you all so much for the reviews!! 

They're really what keep me going… I really love you guys :)

Chapter Fifteen : Kiss the Girl

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When Jeff Hardy woke up, it was almost 11am. He stretched and yawned, before getting out of his bed. He made his way to the bathroom with a smile on his face. It felt good to sleep in, especially since WWE Superstars barely ever had mornings where they could wake up on their own accord. Jeff was definitely in a good mood.

He started brushing his teeth, and a few minutes later he found Maria entering the bathroom as well, still looking half asleep.

"Good morning." She said with a tired smile. She then grabbed her toothbrush.

"Morning." He replied, and watched her brush her teeth. Even without make-up, and with her hair all messed up, she still looked beautiful to him. "Today's the big day…"

"I know…"

They both let out a small chuckle. It had become a habit for them to laugh whenever the subject of their "kiss" was brought up.

Of course, the laughter was a way to cover up how nervous both of them were feeling. Jeff had waited two days before telling Maria about the letter Vince had sent them; that's how long it took him to get over the shock he was feeling at the idea of kissing Maria. Even though it was only a kiss, Jeff feared and looked forward to it at the same time. He didn't know that Maria secretly felt the same way.

But both of them were keeping these emotions to themselves. They did so by talking about the kiss like it was an inside joke.

"You ready for the best kiss of your life Maria?" He asked her teasingly.

"Oh please. I've been with a lot of guys who I'm sure kiss better than you. I have high standards."

"Really? You gonna tell me CM Punk's a good kisser? I highly doubt that seeing he has tongue and lip piercings all over the place."

"Who are you to judge? You have a lip piercing too!"

"I took it off."

Maria put her hand on her hip, as Jeff gave her a sarcastic smile.

"_Besides _CM punk, who happens to be a very good kisser, I've had a few… _interesting_ make out experiences in my time."

"…With who?" Jeff's curiosity rose up instantly.

"Well for starters, there's our good friend Mr. Cena. Remember, I had to kiss him like two years ago on Raw."

"Oh yeah… Right. That reminds to ask John if _you're_ a good kisser."

"Yeah, I'm sure Torrie would love you to do that Jeff."

They looked at each other in the mirror and started to laugh. Even after having just woken up, Jeff and Maria found something to "argue" about. But they both silently loved the conversation.

"You'll see Maria. I'm sure I kick Cena, and Punk, and all those other men's asses when it comes to the kissing factor."

She looked at Jeff with the corner of her eye.

"Like you say, I'll just have to see about that…"

And she was definitely looking forward to finding out just how good Jeff considered himself to be.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Stop staring at me like that man!"

John Cena smirked at Jeff's remark. They were standing behind the main curtains, waiting to be called for their main-event.

"I'm just staring at your purple head Jeff…" John replied innocently, knowing it would piss off the Rainbow-Haired-Warrior.

"No you're not! I know what you're thinking and its complete bullshit…"

"And what am I supposed to be thinking of?"

"You're thinking about how I'm _in denial of my feelings_ and all that crap."

"Oh… You're talking about Maria… _again._"

Jeff threw his bottle at the former Champ with all the strength he had. For some reason, whenever John Cena in particular insinuated that something was going on between Jeff and Maria, the younger Hardy would get seriously annoyed… and a little freaked out. Ever since the week before, when John mentioned that Jeff was in denial of his feelings for Maria, anything concerning the on-screen "couple" coming out of John's mouth would make Jeff feel a little paranoid.

"Come on Hardy… Am I really the only one around here who can tell that you have a crush on Maria?"

"Yes you are the only one who's stupid enough to think this kinda thing, and no I do not have a crush on Maria."

"Yeah, we'll see if you'll still be singing that same little tune after you kiss her in about ten minutes."

Jeff inhaled deeply, suppressing the urge to smack John right around the head.

"I do not have a crush on Maria."

"You're right, you don't."

Jeff raised a curious eyebrow. But he was satisfied to see that John actually seemed serious.

"Good… Now we can drop the subject."

"You have _more_ than a crush on Maria…"

His jaw dropped, as John Cena burst out laughing. Jeff lifted his arm, and just when he was about to make it come crashing down on his annoying friend, the beautiful Diva in question suddenly popped up behind them.

"Hey guys! Jeff, what are you doing?" Maria asked the Hardy Boy, looking crossed at him for wanting to hit the former WWE Champion.

"We were just kidding around…" Jeff replied calmly, and gave John a don't-you-dare-mention-anything-stupid look behind Maria's back.

John replied with a small, yet evil smile.

"Yeah… Just kidding around…"

"Oh ok. So are you ready for you're big match tonight?"

"I think the question is, are _you_ ready…?" John teased, making Jeff feel slightly uncomfortable.

"You're talking about the kiss? Oh please, stop acting like kids you two… It's not a big deal to peck you're friend on the lips anymore…"

"…Yeah, no big deal." Jeff backed her up, even though he felt slightly disappointed at how unfazed Maria was acting about their kiss.

It's too bad he didn't know that she was feeling all the mixed emotions that he was dealing with too.

At that moment John's music blasted through the speakers, much to Jeff's relief.

"Aight, that's my call!" He said, and started quickly making his way towards the curtains. Before he ran through them, he called back to the duo standing behind. "Jeff! Don't forget to tell me if I was right after the show's over!"

"What's he talking about??" Maria asked immediately after John was out of sight.

"I have no idea…" Jeff lied. "When has John ever made sense to you?"

"Yeah… That's a good point. Too bad you forgot to ask him how good a kisser I was."

"… So I can have Torrie Wilson hunt me down and kill me? Nah… I'd rather just find out for myself."

He gave her a seductive wink; the type that would make any woman feel weak at the knees. Maria could feel herself blushing…

Thankfully Jeff's music started, allowing the brunette to look away as they made their way on the ramp. Jeff did his signature dance, while Maria blew kisses to the fans. The crowd was definitely pumped up, as was J.R. and King… But no one's heart could be beating faster than Jeff and Maria's.

Tonight was definitely a big night for them.

A few minutes later, the match had begun. Maria took her usual spot next to the ring on Jeff's corner, as she cheered him on. The longer the battle between him and John Cena went on, the more nervous she would feel. But she wasn't going to show it: she didn't anyone, and especially not Jeff, to notice how much the kiss she was going to share with him was affecting her.

Inside the ring, Jeff fought with heart and soul. He was one hundred percent focused on his match. For one, he knew he had to give it everything he had, since this was his first step to WWE Championship gold. After he won the fight, he would be number one contender for Triple H's belt; something Jeff had dreamt of his entire life. And second of all, he put all his concentration on the match in order to temporarily forget about Maria. Even though she was cheering for him at his corner, he couldn't let her distract him… If he started thinking about her, about what would happen at the end of Raw, he'd freak out again.

_And when you'__re in the middle of a match with John Cena, that's not a good idea…_

Finally, Jeff went for the Swanton Bomb on his "beaten" friend. The referee counted one, two, three… And he was number one contender.

The fans all stood and went crazy for their favorite high-flyer's victory. In the mean time, Maria slipped into the ring. She pulled him in for a hug, as planned. The crowd loved it, as usual. What they didn't expect was to see Jeff gently put his hands around the beautiful brunette's face. Their eyes locked… It was time.

The chemistry between them was electrifying, even before he tilted his head and pulled her in for the kiss.

It started out slow, and soft. After a few seconds they should have pulled back, but instead they found themselves more lost into each others lips. Maria felt the butterflies in her stomach, as Jeff slightly teased her lips with his tongue. She slowly parted her mouth, allowing the kiss to become more passionate and intense.

J.R and King couldn't believe it. The fans were literally screaming... They all loved the sight of two of their favorite Superstars locking lips.

But to Jeff and Maria, it was more then a make-out session. They hadn't purposefully made the kiss last longer. They didn't want to initially find each other in this hot and intimate moment in front of millions of people. But what they were feeling was stronger then anything they'd ever felt. It was like they belonged in each other's arms… like they were meant to be kissing. Nothing had felt so right before.

Maria rapped her arms tighter around Jeff's neck. He kissed her with more passion then he'd ever kissed anyone.

And they weren't ready to let go of each other…

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There you go, Chapter 15! I know, they finally kissed… :) And it won't be the last… PLEASE tell me if the kiss was good!

But in the mean time, I have some upsetting news. I won't be able to update new chapters for a while…

I have my exams, and right after I'm off to camp, and then to Egypt… So I won't have time to continue the story until the end of summer… Which for me is beginning September. 

Now I know it's a long time, BUT I promise I'll be back. I will _not_ leave you guys, or leave this story unfinished… I just love it too much!

So when I get back, you'll have lots of great Jeria moments, I guarantee :) You just have to be a little patient…

In the mean time, you can always re-read the story… There's a lot of things between the lines that you might have missed, you never know ;)

In the meant-time, have a good summer everyone! 

And I'll see you soon… that's a promise. 


	16. Iris

Ever Fallen in Love

Ever Fallen in Love

Author's Note:

I'm back!! 

I hope you all had a great summer… Mine was amazing!

As I warned you, I didn't have time to write since the last update… But now I'm back and free to write more on my favorite couple, Jeff and Maria!!

I'm so excited!! And thank you all so much for your reviews on my last chapter… I'll do my best to not disappoint any of you with the "comeback" of my story 

Now, _finally_, the latest installment of Ever Fallen In Love … Enjoy!!

Chapter 16: Iris

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jeff Hardy swung the door open, and literally jumped inside. His eyes wandered around the empty locker-room, as disappointment quickly covered his face.

She wasn't there.

_Damn it…_

He let out an exasperated sigh, as he stepped out of the locker-room and shut the door behind him. He leaned against it, looking like a defeated man.

About fifteen minutes ago, Jeff had experienced one of the most confusing, yet one of the most passionate moments of his life... He kissed Maria.

Obviously, it wasn't the first time they'd locked lips. About three months ago, Jeff had woken up with the biggest hangover of his life, and found a naked Maria Kanellis sleeping next to him. They had obviously done more than lock lips that night. And because of that famous one-night-stand, along with a little help from the sneaky bastard called Edge, Jeff and Maria had been forced into a romantic storyline together. This meant that they were stuck to one another 24/7 _off-screen_ as well. They shared the same rental cars, locker-rooms, hotel-rooms… everything. And so they quickly became close.

But before becoming close, they had a rocky beginning. In fact, Maria couldn't stand him. After all, he was the man she'd cheated on her "boyfriend" CM Punk with. But one night, after Maria had had a bitter conversation with the Straight-Edge-Superstar, she'd come into the hotel-room crying her heart out… And Jeff was there to comfort her. He went out of his way, and even made himself look pretty stupid, just to get her to smile and laugh. And he barely knew her back then. That was the first night they had to share a hotel-room for their storyline. It was the night they became friends.

_But are we just friends…?_

Jeff covered his face with his hands as he tried to answer his own question. Only half an hour ago, before his match against John Cena, Jeff had assured the former Champ that he and Maria were nothing more than friends. John had told him that he might feel differently after the kiss they'd share on national television… And the bastard was right. Jeff did feel differently.

Actually, he didn't feel _differently_, to be precise. He was just finally becoming aware of the feelings he'd had for the Diva all along. Ever since that night where he'd cheered her up by looking frantically for oranges and M'n'M's to make her stop crying, he'd felt something for her. He didn't know it at the time, he wasn't even sure he knew it now, but that night when he first got her to laugh, he saw something different in that girl… something special.

So many things about her were special in Jeff's eyes. Like the way she'd laugh at him whenever she kicked his ass in a video game… The way she worried about him after he'd gone through a grueling match, or after having thrown a pillow at his face in the middle of the night. The way she always looked like the most beautiful woman in the world to him, even when she didn't make any effort to look pretty. The way she doubted her talent, when Jeff knew that she _would_ be one of the greatest Divas one day. The way she stubbornly refuses to listen to him whenever he'd help her work-out. The way her eyes sparkled after she'd managed to apply her first Whisper in the Wind. The way she drew him to her… The way her lips felt against his…

All these feelings were suddenly crashing down on Jeff, as he leaned against the cold door of their locker-room. He couldn't get her out of his head, or the kiss that they'd just shared.

He couldn't explain, or even understand, the strong emotions he'd felt when she their lips met in that ring. He'd never kissed someone with so much passion before…

"Jeff!"

The Rainbow-Haired-Warrior was pulled out of his thoughts of Maria when he heard someone yell for him. He turned his head, and found Matt Hardy walking towards him, with a huge grin on his face.

"Man, that kiss was _intense_!" He exclaimed when he was close enough to his younger brother.

But Matt's smile faded when he noticed the blank expression on the younger Hardy's face.

"What's wrong with you? And where's your girl?!"

"She's not my girl Matt…" Jeff replied softly.

"You wouldn't think so after a kiss like that!"

Jeff chuckled.

"We were acting it out man, you know that…"

"Cut the crap Jeff! You're not fooling me and you're definitely not fooling yourself." Matt said stubbornly. "In fact, you're not fooling _anyone_ that just saw what happened! That kiss was definitely more than just an act and _you_ know that…"

Jeff looked intently at his brother. Matt was right, as usual: it definitely was more than what it was supposed to look like.

"Ok man, ok so maybe you're right…" Jeff gave in with a sigh. "Maybe it did mean something, to _me_. It definitely didn't mean anything to her."

"And what makes you think that?"

"Because the moment we got backstage, she ran out on me! I turned my head for one second to talk to a backstage guy, and when I turned back she was gone. She bolted."

Matt simply nodded. He was mentally analyzing the situation his brother was in. Then an idea suddenly popped in his head.

"Wait man! Maybe she ran off 'cause the kiss _did_ mean something to her…"

Jeff gave him an incredulous look.

"What the hell are you saying Matt?! That makes no sense at all…"

"Actually, it kind of does… Look, some people freak out when they share something deep with someone, and when they start having feelings they're not used to. Maria's possibly one of those people. She freaked out, and hanging around you for the rest of the night would have just made her more confused. So she probably ran off somewhere just to get her thoughts straight…"

Jeff listened carefully as his brother explained his theory. He quirked his eyebrow after Matt had done talking.

"Or, maybe she just hated the fact that we had to kiss, so she ran off to go complain about it to Torrie or something…"

Matt shook his head.

"I thought you were more optimistic than that little bother."

"I am optimistic; but I'm also realistic."

"And you're also quite stupid." Matt said and patted Jeff's shoulder. "I'm sure I'm right on this one. And one day, you're actually going to start believing in what I tell you…"

At that moment, Jeff Hardy should have listened to his older brother. Because for once… Matt's theory was dead on.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Maria Kanellis tossed and turned in her bed for what seemed like the hundredth time. She was completely awake; even though she'd been pretending to be asleep for the past three hours. When Jeff walked into their hotel room, she was lying on her bed, her eyes shut and the sheets pulled over her. After staring at her for what seemed like ten minutes, Jeff finally retreated to his own bed for a good night's rest.

An hour later she heard him snoring gently, and Maria felt relieved. She'd pretended to be sleeping in order to avoid talking to him. In fact, she'd done everything she could to not run into him, ever since they'd kissed only a few hours earlier.

Maria knew she was acting childishly. They weren't kids anymore; it was stupid of her to avoid him like this. She knew that very well.

But Maria was scared.

She wasn't scared of Jeff… But she was scared of the feelings he was lighting inside of her. And those feelings just got more intense after the kiss they'd shared.

She didn't understand. Why was she feeling this way?

It couldn't only be because he was a good kisser… a _very_ good kisser actually. But even the most talented kisser in the world wouldn't be able to make her feel the butterflies Jeff had made her feel. Her body tingled all over when his lips brushed against hers. She felt shivers up her spine when his tongue gently rubbed against her own.

Even CM Punk, the man she thought she could fall in love with, didn't make her feel that way.

And so Maria had spent the entire night running away from Jeff Hardy, only so she could think about him privately. She needed to gather her thoughts together.

Jeff was only a friend to her. Ok, a friend that she'd always been attracted to in some way. A friend she felt comfortable with: she knew she could be herself with Jeff, and not worry about him judging her. A friend that told her he believed in her, and in some way made her a stronger person… A friend who'd protect her.

No one made her feel safe the way Jeff did. She felt like nothing could harm her when he was by her side.

And she always wanted him by her side.

_Ok, so I think "just friends" is a bit of an understatement…_

Maria turned on her side, and looked towards the younger Hardy's bed. She could distinguish his still form, fast asleep, not too far away from her. Maria smiled.

She thought of all the times he'd made her laugh. She thought of the way he always motivated her before a match, or make her feel better when she was down. She thought of the way he'd always jump up in her defense, like that time in the nightclub when he'd stood up for her in front of CM Punk. She thought of how he always brought out the best in her. She thought of the time he taught her to do her first Whisper in the Wind. She thought of the way they were so drawn to each other… The way they'd almost kissed. And the way they did kiss only a few hours earlier.

Maria slowly threw the covers off of her, and crept out of bed.

She didn't know why, but at that moment, all she wanted was to be near him.

She gently tip-toed towards his bed. Jeff was sleeping on his back, on the far right side of the bed, his head slightly tilted to the side. As quietly as she could, Maria climbed into the empty space next to him.

Carefully slipping the covers back onto both of them, she gently moved her body as close to his as she could. Now she could feel his skin next to hers. Maria let out a soft giggle; she couldn't believe she was doing this.

Yet somehow, it felt right.

She let out a sigh, and gently rested her head in the space between his neck and his shoulder. She could feel his warm skin under hers… She could hear the slow rhythm of his heart.

The Diva smiled again. She let her arm rest across his chest, and her leg slowly entangle between his.

She felt safe. He was near her, and that warm sense of security washed over her. She closed her eyes, and knew she was going to get a good night's sleep after all.

Yes, it definitely did feel right.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There you go, chapter 16!

I hope you all liked it! I know it was a bit of a "recap" chapter, but I thought it was necessary since I've been gone for a while. I hope I didn't lose too many of you during the holidays!

So please let me know what you think in some reviews! I hope to hear from you guys again…

And now, a little preview of what's coming next…

_Jeff wakes up and finds Maria in his arms… What's going to happen next?_


	17. Stop and Stare

Ever Fallen in Love

Ever Fallen in Love

Author's Note:

Thank you all so much for the reviews!! They really mean a lot!!

I'm so glad to see I didn't lose too many of you during the holidays 

Now… on with the story!

Enjoy

Chapter Seventeen: Stop and Stare

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next morning, Jeff Hardy fluttered his eyes open as he slowly woke up from a peaceful, deep sleep. For some reason, he had felt particularly comfortable that night… comfortable and warm.

Suddenly he noticed something. There was a single, thin arm lying across his stomach. He had a sense of deja-vu.

And then realization hit him. Someone was on the bed with him. And that someone wasn't just sleeping next to him; that person was hugging him. But Jeff didn't panic one bit. First of all, he was too sleepy for that. And second, he knew straight away who the person cuddling beside him was. He didn't even need to look.

He just knew immediately because of the sweet, flowery smell emanating from her. He could also tell from her soft skin against his body.

Jeff smiled, and turned his eyes towards the sleeping figure of Maria Kanellis. She had her face buried between his neck and shoulder blade. Her arm was resting on his stomach, and her legs were entangled with his. She was literally stuck to him.

And Jeff couldn't be more pleased.

He was a little surprised, of course. But an overwhelming sense of happiness took over him: she was in his arms. It was more than what he had hoped for.

Since the night before, he'd been looking for her. He looked everywhere; he just wanted to see her face again. He wanted to see her expression… To know how she felt after kissing him. But by the end of that night, he was positive that she regretted it. She had avoided him entirely, and when he walked into their hotel-room, she had already gone to bed.

And now here she was, sleeping in his arms.

Suddenly, her head moved slightly. He looked and saw that her eyelids were so slowly parting. She kept them half open, and a small smile crept onto her beautiful face.

"What are you looking at…?" She mumbled sleepily.

"You…" He whispered.

He looked at her, in an almost mesmerized way. Then he smiled: one of those beautiful, breath-taking smiles that only Jeff Hardy can master.

"You look beautiful Maria…"

"And you look…colorful." She chuckled, and lifted her arm to touch a strand of his red her. She gently brushed it behind his ear. He smiled; but she didn't miss the torn expression on his face. "You look confused…"

"I am confused."

"About what…?" She asked, even though she pretty much knew the answer.

"What do you think?" He replied softly, and let out a small laugh. "Last night, after we had to… after we kissed, you just bailed. I looked all over the place for you. And now I wake up, and you're in my bed… Not that I mind!" He quickly added. "I don't mind at all. I just don't understand… You disappeared on me last night."

"I didn't disappear… I was with Mickie and Candice."

"And why didn't you answer my calls?"

Maria thought of what to say.

"I don't know…" She whispered. She decided to be honest with him: she knew Jeff appreciated honesty.

A peaceful silence settled between them, as they simply locked eyes. Maria still had her hand caressing Jeff's hair. She slowly glided it towards his cheek. Her soft fingers drew circles on the surface of his cheekbone, giving Jeff the shivers.

He then put his arm around Maria's waist, and slowly brought her body closer to his. The small gap between them on the bed was closed; their faces only inches apart. Their eyes were still lost in each other.

They felt that strong attraction take over them again… it drew them even closer to each other. The chemistry was electrifying. Suddenly their lips were about to touch…

And then Maria's cell phone started vibrating.

Jeff groaned, and Maria let out a small chuckle. She leaned towards the other side of the bed and grabbed her cell from the night-stand.

"Hello?" She answered, and Jeff saw her eyes slowly widen in excitement.

He just watched her as she talked on the phone. It was obviously a dynamic conversation. Maria didn't do most of the talking; she simply nodded excitedly and intervened every now and then to express her approval. When she hung up, she looked surprised… surprised and happy.

"Who was that?"

"It was Michael Hayes from the writers division…" She said rapidly. "Jeff… They might be giving me that push I wanted!"

"The one against Beth Phoenix…?" Jeff asked, hoping for a yes. He got what he wanted when Maria nodded eagerly. "Maria that's great!"

He truly was happy for her. He knew how much Maria had wanted this storyline, and he was there to comfort her when her hopes had crashed only a few weeks ago. And now, her dream was given back to her.

It might not have seemed like a big deal to most people, but Jeff knew that to Maria, it was _more_ than a big deal. It was her opportunity to prove herself as a serious wrestler; something Maria had worked for her entire career.

"It is great!" She said excitedly. "But I still have to prove myself tonight."

"Wait… What? Prove yourself?"

"Yeah… I'm set to win a match tonight against Beth Phoenix. If Vince and the writers think I perform well… then they might push me to win the Woman's Championship… at Wrestlemania!"

Maria giggled again, and Jeff gave her a big smile. He knew words weren't enough to express his happiness for her.

So he simply tightened the hold he had on her waist, and Maria rested her head on his shoulder once again.

This time, his hand was the one caressing her cheek, as they simply hugged each other as the minutes flew by.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Jeff I'm scared!"

For the past fifteen minutes, Maria had been freaking out. She was in her locker-room with Jeff, fully dressed for her match against Beth Phoenix.

…The match that could possibly determine the rest of her career.

"Maria calm down." Jeff tried to reassure the Diva, who was pacing the room in a stressed-out manner. "You'll do fine!"

"What if I don't do fine Jeff? Huh, what if I completely mess up?! What if I screw my chance of winning the Woman's Championship at Wrestlemania?!"

"I know that won't happen." He replied in a calm, confident voice.

"You can't predict the future!" She snapped.

Jeff seemed unfazed by Maria's sudden outburst at him, but the red-headed beauty immediately felt guilty.

She knew that Jeff was the last person she should get mad at… especially since all he'd been doing since the morning was to try and comfort her.

She turned her back to him, and went to lean against the door in a defeated manner. She had her hand on the handle, knowing that she would be called for her match at any given moment. She almost felt sick… she wasn't prepared to compete.

Suddenly she felt Jeff's hand on her waist, gently turning her towards him. He was right in front of her, staring at her with his deep and beautiful eyes.

"You remember the last time you were in this room, sitting against that wall looking completely messed up?" He asked her softly.

"Yeah…"

"It was when the writers took your storyline away and gave it to Melina. You were sitting just behind that couch on the verge of tears…"

"Yeah, I remember Jeff…" She said with small, almost inaudible giggle.

"Do you remember what I told you that day?"

Maria smiled. Of course she remembered what he'd said… It was one of the most touching things anyone had ever told her.

"You told me you believed in me."

This time Jeff smiled. He knew that he was soothing her somehow…

"And I do believe in you. And _you_ should believe in you. You can do this Maria… Trust me."

Jeff's kind words, and his warm hands on her waist made Maria feel strong again. All the panic for her match almost disappeared.

The fact that he believed in her just motivated her. She wasn't going to let him down.

At that precise moment, someone knocked on the locker-room door, and called for Maria.

"Maria Kanellis, you're match is up in five!"

She took a deep breath, and gave Jeff a long look.

"Thank you." She breathed, and opened the door.

But before she could step out of the locker-room, Jeff grabbed her hand.

"Maria wait, one more thing…"

He didn't know what took over him at that moment, or pushed him to act so passionately. All he knew was that his hand had suddenly reached her cheek, and he leaned in to kiss her.

It was a slow, gentle, yet passionate kiss. They both felt the same intensity as they had the first time their lips had touched. But their moment of magic was short lived.

Jeff let go of her after a few seconds, and both of them felt red at the cheeks. Maria looked up at him with quizzical eyes.

"I… I thought I'd just give you a little booster before you're match."

Maria smiled, in an almost mesmerized way. She was still blushing.

"Ok…" She whispered, and turned away from Jeff before the urge to kiss him again became too strong. She walked towards the ramp in a calm and composed way.

Jeff's little "booster" had definitely worked: she felt confident.

The younger Hardy stood there with a smile on his face, even a few minutes after Maria had gone. The way her lips felt against his seemed so right to him. The way _she _felt against him was right, period.

He finally pulled himself out of his little reverie of her, and made his way towards the backstage curtain. When he arrived, several Superstars, including John Cena, Mickie James, and the peculiar Undertaker were already standing in front of the small TV screen, watching the on-going match between Maria and the Woman's Champion.

"Look at Maria!" Mickie exclaimed once Jeff was next to her. "She's kicking Beth's ass! I've never seen her fight like this before!"

"I gotta admit man…" John Cena intervened. "She's pretty tough right now. She's definitely on her way to Wrestlemania."

For the first time, Jeff didn't protest against the fact that Maria was being called "his girl".

_It actually has a nice ring to it…_

Jeff couldn't keep the smile off his face. Or nor did the Undertaker, for that matter, who was giving him the cold disapproving look he always did.

And John Cena was right: Maria fought with all her heart and soul, and gave it everything she had. And after applying a beautifully executed Whisper in the Wind, much to Jeff's pleasure, she covered Beth Phoenix's body for the three count.

The bell rang: Maria was on the way to Wrestlemania.

Everyone cheered wildly; the fans and all the Superstars backstage. They were all proud of her… But no one was more proud than Jeff Hardy. It was almost like he'd won the match himself.

On the screen, he saw Maria's face light up in happiness. The referee put her hand up, and Jeff knew that this was the most satisfying moment of her career thus far.

But when the referee let her arm down, Maria glanced around herself and jumped out of the ring. She began running up the ramp, without looking back.

All the Superstars looked at each other in confusion. Maria had just run off after her big win.

"Jeff man, what's she doing?"

Before the younger Hardy could express his confusion as well, Maria herself appeared through the curtains. She still had that blissful smile on her face.

Before anyone could start congratulating her, the Diva passed through them. She spotted Jeff, and her smile grew wider. She shoved her way through the other Superstars and ran up to him.

To everyone's surprise, including Jeff, Maria threw her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss.

Slowly, their friends started cheering and whistling. No one sounded more happy or surprised than John Cena and Mickie James.

But Jeff and Maria didn't hear them. They didn't even remember their presence.

The only thing registered in their minds at that moment was the person they were so passionately kissing.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There you go, Chapter 17! I hope you all enjoyed it!

Here's a little preview for what's coming up next…

_Maria and Jeff spend a weekend on the boat trip, accompanied by John Cena and Torrie Wilson…_

Please let me know what you think!!


	18. Island in the Sun

Ever Fallen in Love

Ever Fallen in Love

Author's Note:

Thank you all so much for the reviews!! They really push me to write more and I love you all for it 

Now to answer Kelly's question, I definitely did not turn my back on Jorrie. Never. It's not because I make Mickie and John stand next to each other that I support them. 

And John and Torrie have a big role in this chapter 

As for jeffhardyfan22, I do have an answer to your question that will be discovered in later chapters. 

Now, on with the story!

Enjoy!

Chapter Eighteen: Island in the Sun

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Now, _this_ is the life…" Maria said with a smile as she took a sip of her lemonade.

She was lying on a daybed, taking a nice tan, having a nice drink, while the deep blue waves of the ocean gently rocked the yacht they were staying in. She was glad she'd accepted to go on this boat trip.

The water beneath her, the green little island a few miles from her, the burning sun above her and the beautiful luxurious yacht they had rented all to themselves was like a gift to Maria. She hadn't felt this relaxed in a while. And to top it all off, she was in the company of two of her closest friends and their gorgeous child: John Cena, Torrie Wilson, and their daughter Trisha.

But the one person, who made the trip seem that much more special to Maria, was undoubtedly Jeff Hardy. Being with him, especially in a place as heavenly as this, made her feel like the luckiest girl in the world…

"Yeah, this is the life…" Torrie agreed from the daybed next to her, pulling Maria out of her thoughts. "I just wish John would hurry up with our food. Where is he?!"

"And where's Jeff…?"

Before the blonde beauty could come up with an answer, both Divas heard a victory yell coming from the deck above them. Then they heard the sound of running footsteps. In a matter of seconds, they saw a flash of rainbow-colored hair falling and twirling in the air in front of them, and landing in the water.

Jeff Hardy had just Swanton-Bombed into the sea… and from the top floor of the boat!

Maria and Torrie stood silent for a few seconds, after the minor shock of seeing Jeff fly from above their heads.

"Well…" Torrie said after a while. "At least we know where _your_ boyfriend is."

Maria smiled. She did that every time someone referred to Jeff as her boyfriend.

She just loved the fact that it was true. They had been officially together since that night where they kissed in their locker-room and then kissed in front of everybody, before and after her match against Beth Phoenix. And Maria couldn't be happier.

Of course, they hadn't had the sort of conversation with each other where they would say: "Hey, so now you're my boyfriend and I'm your girlfriend. Alright?" It didn't happen that way at all. But after that night when she won her chance to be in Wrestlemania, she knew she also won the right to be the only girl in Jeff's love life. And it was the same for her: she only wanted to be with him.

But it took a while for her to really look at Jeff and admit to herself that this was the man she was dating. Not because it didn't feel right: it felt _very_ right. But because in the past four months, she'd been stuck to him 24/7… and in that time, she'd always fought very hard to convince herself that despite her possible feelings, he was only a friend. And now… he was much more than a friend.

_And I wouldn't have it any other way…_

"What are you smiling at?" Torrie once again interrupted Maria's train of thoughts.

"Nothing…" She replied calmly, but kept the smirk on her face.

Suddenly she heard Torrie giggle.

"Oh I see… So Jeff's _that_ kind of guy huh?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"You know very well what I'm talking about Maria..."

The auburn-haired Diva sat up on her day-bed, took off her sunglasses and looked confusingly at her friend, who was still giggling by herself.

"I really, _really_ don't know what you're trying to say Tor…"

Torrie looked at her, and just as suddenly as she started giggling, she became serious.

"Wait… you don't?"

"I don't what?"

"So you and Jeff didn't…?"

"Didn't what?"

"Do it!"

"Do what?!"

"_It_!"

"Oh…" Maria finally understood what her friend had been trying to tell her. "You want to know if Jeff and I did _it_?"

"Ugh, for the love of life Maria, did you and Jeff have sex yes or no?!"

"No!" Maria replied, taken aback by her friend's brutal honesty. "Well, I mean, technically we did… remember, when we got really drunk in Canada and then woke up naked in the same bed? That's how we got stuck in this storyline together in the first place… But since then, we didn't do _it_... yet."

"Hum… That's strange."

"Why is that strange?"

"I don't know." Torrie replied, and did have a look of confusion on her beautiful face. "I just thought you two would have done it by now. I mean, now that you're a couple, and that you sleep in the same bed every night… Not to mention, you and Jeff are perfect with each other! And when you're together, you can just feel the heat between you… the chemistry… the intensity…"

"Ok Torrie I get it!" Maria said with a laugh, interrupting her friend's monologue.

_If she keeps going, I might rape Jeff when I see him…_

"Sorry. But take my advice; you should really have your "first time" here! I mean look where we are! We're on an amazing yacht… Hawaii is only two miles away, and you can see the green islands from here… The view is _sexy_. So you and Jeff should really try ton-"

"Torrie!" Maria interrupted again, as she continued laughing. "Look, if I ever need a sex counselor, I promise I'll come talk to you ok?"

"Did I just hear something about sex?"

Both ladies jumped up from their daybeds, as John Cena's sudden voice startled them. He was standing behind them, with his gorgeous daughter in one arm, a tray of small sandwiches in the other, and a huge smirk on his face.

"There you are!" Torrie said and stood up to greet her family. She ran over to John, kissed him on the lips and then took Trisha in her arms. "Did you have fun swimming with Daddy and Uncle Jeff today?" She asked her daughter in a squeaky, babyish voice. Trisha replied with a small gurgling noise.

"I guess that means she did." Maria said as she smiled at the happy family.

John took a bite of his sandwich and went to lie on the daybed Torrie had been tanning on.

"Ok people, I got us a table for tonight at this night-club… It's on the beach, on that little island over there. I hear it's the A-place down here."

"Yay!" Torrie almost yelled in excitement. "John, I love you! I've been dying to party for such a long time!"

"What's this about a party?"

All three wrestlers, and baby, turned towards the dripping wet Jeff Hardy.

Maria's smile grew even wider.

"Finally! I was starting to think you'd decided to be a fish for life and live in the sea…"

"And let you go party without me?" Jeff then went towards the daybed next to Maria, shoved John off of it and took his seat. "Nah… I'd rather keep an eye on my girl."

As he said this, he gently took Maria's hand in his and brought it to his lips. He kissed her forehand, making the Diva's breath catch up in her throat.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Jeff!" Maria yelled over the loud music of the nightclub.

She made her way through the crowded dance floor, and finally reached the VIP section. She shoved her way towards the table she was sharing with John, Torrie, and Jeff. When she reached them, John had just finished drinking down a big glass of whisky-coke, and went to dance with his girlfriend by the couch.

Jeff on the other hand didn't seem to notice Maria calling for him. He was too focused on the shots of alcohol he was making for himself.

"Jeff!" She yelled again, and this time caught the Rainbow-Haired-Warrior's attention. He gave her a big, sloppy smile as she finally approached him.

"You want?" He held up one of the shots towards her, but Maria gently put it back on the table. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and looked deep into his half closed eyes.

"You're drunk."

"Noooooooo…" Jeff answered and shook his head.

"Yes you are!" Maria said with a small laugh. "Now stop drinking before you pass out."

"What? I'm Jeff Hardy!" He boasted and put his hand on his chest. "It takes more than a little alcohol to knock me out!"

"Yeah? Well I'm going to knock you out if you don't stop drinking." She replied and grabbed his hand. "Let's go get some air."

After a little resistance, she finally led him through the dance floor towards the nightclub's main entrance.

When they made it outside, they were on the beach. The club was literally positioned in front of the sea, and when both Superstars stepped out, their feet sunk into the white sand.

Maria looked at the beautiful view. The sky was dark, yet illuminated by bright stars and the full moon above them. The sea was calm, only interrupted by small waves. The palm trees swayed gently with the wind. She spotted the beach umbrellas not too far from them, and made her way towards them. Jeff stumbled behind her, as he sang to the Queen's "We Will Rock You" chorus. Maria giggled, and the couple finally reached one of the front umbrellas, only a few feet away from the water. She took off her heels, grabbed the edge of her dress and sat on the sand.

She then reached for Jeff's hand, motioning him to sit next to her. The younger Hardy Boy, in his drunken stupor, grabbed her hand and then tripped on his own feet. His body came crashing down onto Maria's.

She couldn't help but laugh, even despite Jeff's body weight onto hers.

_Here I am lying in the sand, with Jeff lying on top of me…_

Somehow, it seemed as though he had read her intimate thoughts. His face was only an inch from hers... and he closed that gap when his lips suddenly met hers.

The kiss quickly became intense. Even though he was drunk, Jeff still had great control of his mouth, his lips… his tongue massaging hers.

Maria felt his hand slowly slide down the side of her dress. It stopped when it reached her leg, and he slowly proceeded in caressing it… up and down, over and over again, as he continued kissing her passionately.

He then moved his face towards her neck, and his hand had slowly made it's was under her dress… making Maria feel hotter and hotter.

"This would be sexy if you didn't smell like alcohol…" She whispered, and tried to keep her voice steady. It was proving to be very hard with the way Jeff was ravishing her neck… the way his hand felt against her thigh, slowly making its way towards her thong…

Suddenly he stopped. He took off his hand before it had reached her sensitive area, and lifted his head to look her in the eyes.

"Do you want me to stop?" He breathed.

Maria took in his look of sincerity. She was touched by now caring he was, even while not being in a sober state.

"No, I don't…" She replied honestly, with a hint of vulnerability in her voice. "But when this happens, I want it to be special. I want it to be _remembered_ this time…"

Jeff let out a soft chuckle, and nodded slightly.

"Yeah, you're right. I don't wanna be dead wasted like the first time… Sex lives to wait another day!"

They both burst out laughing, as Jeff rolled off of her. He lay on his back, with Maria on his side. She cuddled next to him… she rested her head on his chest, and her arm lay on his stomach.

A comfortable silence fell between them. Maria could feel Jeff's heart beats against his chest. They made her feel at ease.

"Maria…"

His husky, tired voice broke through the calm night.

"Yeah…?"

"I…"

She could hear his heart beating faster. Hers was pumping quiet fast as well. She waited… She hoped that three special words were going to come out of his mouth. She hoped he would say them, yet she feared them at the same time. What would she reply? Still, she wanted to hear them…

But after a few minutes, Jeff still hadn't finished what he'd started. Maria lifted her head to look at him, and found that his eyes had shut.

He was fast asleep.

She smiled. She slowly put her head back on his chest, and went back to the comfortable position she felt secure in.

_I guess tonight's too soon for that special sentence…_

Maybe one day, he'd tell her those special words. And hopefully, he'd mean them.

In the meantime, Maria tried to fall asleep, while listening to the slow rhythm of Jeff's heart.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There you go, I hope you all liked it!

Please let me know what you guys think 

And here's a little preview of what's coming ahead. 

_Maria and Jeff go back to their normal wrestling life on the road…__ and someone from Jeff's past decides to make an appearance. _


	19. Over You

Ever Fallen in Love

Ever Fallen in Love

Author's Note:

Thank you all so much for the reviews!! You guys are amazing ;)

I'd just like to point out something… This story is still set before the WWE Draft. And so Maria and Jeff are still on Raw.

Now…Chapter Nineteen everyone!!

Enjoy!

Chapter Nineteen: Over You

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The crowd went crazy, as the referee raised Jeff's hand in victory. He'd just won the most important match of his career so far… He had pinned Triple H, for the chance to be at the Main Event of Wrestlemania XXV.

The fans, the announcers, everyone was astounded and excited with Jeff's victory. But no one could have been more proud than Maria.

She slid into the ring, and ran towards the new Number One Contestant. They hugged each other tightly, and after a good few seconds Maria pulled away and kissed him fully on the lips. It wasn't part of their script, but they didn't care. Jeff wanted to share his moment of victory with the person who meant the most to him.

After celebrating with the fans, the couple finally made it backstage. When they stepped behind the curtain, a dozen Superstars and cast members ran over to Jeff to congratulate him.

"Looks like it's me and you for the big prize Hardy…" John Cena said as he shook the Rainbow-Haired-Warrior's hand. "…And on the biggest stage of them all."

"Yeah, well it will be my honor to beat you and become the new WWE Champion Cena."

"Let's not get too cocky now…"

Both men laughed together, as more and more people came over to congratulate Jeff on his big win.

"Jeff Hardy!" Danny, one of the crew members, suddenly yelled at the mass of Superstars gathered backstage.

"Yeah?"

"Vince wants you and Cena in his office in half an hour, to talk about Wrestlemania and so on…"

"Ok, thanks man."

Jeff nodded towards the crew member, who disappeared like a bolt of lightning to go pass around more information from the Big Boss.

"Alright, I'm going to go shower before the meeting."

As Jeff said this he turned towards his girlfriend, who pulled him in for a hug.

"I'm so proud of you Jeff…" She whispered.

"Hey, I'm not the only one going to Wrestlemania…" Maria giggled at this, and Jeff pulled her in for a small peck on the lips. "I'll catch you later."

After Jeff had gone towards the locker-room, Maria stayed back gossiping with the other Superstars. None of them could get over the younger Hardy's big victory… His dream was coming true.

A few minutes later, Maria said bye to her friends and decided to go relax in the locker-room as well. She started down the hall, completely lost in her own thoughts… So lost in fact, that she didn't notice a certain Superstar walking next to her.

"Hey Maria..."

The Diva jumped up in surprise. She was even more surprised when she noticed that the person standing next to her was none other than CM Punk.

"Phil… You scared me there."

"Yeah, sorry about that." He replied a smile.

An awkward silence settled between them. Maria felt very uneasy… The last time she'd had a proper conversation with him was a few months ago, when he'd asked her to have dinner with him. She'd declined the offer, even though she still had some feelings for him at the time. But she'd also started growing feelings for Jeff… and so she'd said no to the Straight-Edge Superstar. She hadn't been alone with him since then.

"So… How have you been?" She asked, in an attempt to break the tension.

"Oh I've been good… What about you?"

"Yeah, same. Actually, I've been very good! I mean, I pulled a big win over Beth Phoenix last week and-"

"I miss you."

Maria stopped short in her sentence. She looked at Phil in surprise: he had a vulnerable, almost sad expression on his face.

"I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't blurt out things like that. But it's true… I miss you Maria. I want you back…"

"Phil…" She said slowly, after she'd recovered a little from the shock. "I'm with Jeff now-"

"I know, and you look happy." He smiled at her. "But I just wish you could be happy with _me_."

Maria was at a loss of words again. He'd taken her by such surprise.

A few months ago, she would have been ecstatic to hear him confessing his feelings like this towards her. But now… she just felt upset. She didn't want to hear him telling her these things anymore. And the look of pain in his eyes almost made her feel guilty.

"Phil, we tried once before and it didn't work out…"

"No, we never got the chance to call ourselves a couple. I lost you before I had the chance, and I was stupid. I should have never let you go…"

"But you did Phil… and…" The next few words to come out of Maria's mouth were almost painful for her to admit. "And I'm glad you did. I'm with Jeff now, and I _am_ happy. _He _makes me happy." She took a deep breath, as she saw the sadness in Punk's eyes become more and more obvious. "I want to be with Jeff, Phil, and nobody else… I'm so sorry."

And she was sorry. She hated hurting people, especially people who cared so much for her… and people who she once cared so deeply about. But she'd decided to be honest with him.

_Jeff always says that honesty is the best option…_

They both stayed quiet for a while. She could tell that Phil was looking for words to say. He looked at her, and she could tell that his expression had softened. But he still looked miserable.

"No, I'm sorry Maria…" He said in a low voice, and he was being honest too. She could tell that he genuinely was feeling sorry. "I shouldn't have harassed you like that. I was being selfish. I don't know what got into me…"

"Yeah, we all get those mood swings some times…" She said, trying to brighten the mood. She felt relieved when a small smile appeared on his face.

"I do want you to be happy Maria. And if Jeff makes you happy… well, I'll just have to get used to it."

He turned around to leave, and suddenly he turned back. He took a step closer towards her.

"Just so you, I'll always be here for you. My door will always be open…"

He took another step closer, and surprised Maria when he gave her a soft kiss on her forehead. She smiled in return, as Phil turned around and walked away.

Maria stood there for a while, by herself in the hall way. She was still getting over what had just happened. It was a bit of a shock, to say the least.

She then decided to just forget about it, and hope that CM Punk would forget about her. It would be easier that way.

In the mean time, she continued her walk towards the locker-room. All she wanted was to be in Jeff's arms right now.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The younger Hardy was a few feet away from his locker-room when he heard someone yell his name.

"Jeff!"

He turned around and found his brother Matt Hardy literally running towards him. He had the biggest smile on his face.

"My brother's going to Wrestlemania!" As he screamed this in the silent hallway, Matt pulled in the new Number One Contender for a big hug.

"Matt… Oxygen." Jeff managed to say when he felt his brother's grip getting too tight. He couldn't help but smile in happiness too.

"Man I can't believe you're headlining Wrestlemania… This is so great!"

"I can't believe it either man… It hasn't really sunk in yet…"

"I'm so proud of you Jeff!"

The younger Hardy smiled when he remembered the red-head Diva telling him the exact same thing.

"You sound just like Maria…"

"Speaking of Maria… You really are one lucky guy!" Matt said as he punched his brother's arm playfully, and slightly painfully. "You got the Main Event at Wrestlemania _and_ you got the girl!"

"…Who's going to Wrestlemania as well…" Jeff pointed out smugly.

Matt shook his head.

"You're really on top of the world now little brother. Life can't get any better for you…"

"Stop saying that man you're gonna jinx my luck!" Jeff quickly said in a panicked voice.

"Ok Mr. Superstitious…" Matt chucked. "I have to get going anyway. I just wanted to tell you how proud I am!"

Matt pulled his brother in for another short hug, before turning around and making his way back from where he came from. As he walked away, Jeff heard him shouting again.

"I'll see you later future WWE Champion! Oh wait, sorry… I think I jinxed you're luck!"

Jeff laughed, and gave his brother the finger when Matt turned around to give him a cocky smirk.

The Rainbow-Haired-Warrior remained standing where he was, in front of his locker-room, even a few minutes after Matt was out of sight. He still had a smile on his. He had Maria, and he was going to compete for the WWE Championship on the grandest stage of them all… something he had dreamt of since he was a child.

_I really am the luckiest guy in the world._

Jeff opened the door to his locker-room, and suddenly, he wasn't the luckiest guy in the world anymore. The look he had on his face when he saw the person standing in front of him was not the look of someone lucky. It was the look of surprise… and not the good type of surprise either.

His luck had definitely run out. Matt had jinxed it.

And that was the only thought going through Jeff Hardy's mind as he stared at Beth Jared… the former love of his life.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Uh oh, there's a little cliffhanger for you! :P

Anyway, I'm sorry if this chapter's rather short… But I'm going to make up for it with the next chapter, which should be longer… and therefore it might take longer to update than usual. 

I usually update my story every week, but the next coming chapter is a rather dramatic one, and a very important one for me. I want to make it perfect… so I might take a few extra days to get it done. But don't worry, it'll be worth it! I hope…

Here's a little preview.

_Jeff's ex-girlfriend unwilling makes a big impact on his relationship with Maria…_

Please let me know what you think in some reviews! :) 


	20. Where I Stood

Ever Fallen in Love

Ever Fallen in Love

Author's Note:

Thank you all so much for the reviews!! I love them and I love you for it :)

PS: To answer one of your reviews, I'm very aware that when people sleep together without using protection, they have a big chance of getting pregnant. But not all of them do, and that's the case for Maria and Jeff. 

Now… Here's chapter 20!

Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty: Where I Stood

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jeff Hardy stayed completely still in front of her for almost an entire minute. He couldn't believe it: his ex-girlfriend, who had happened to be the very last person he wanted to see, was standing in front of him.

He eventually snapped out of his shocked trance, and his expression was replaced by a frown.

"What are you doing here Beth?" He said, a little more rudely than he'd intended to.

"Well, it's nice to see you too Jeff…" She replied sarcastically. "All though I have to say, you're making some efforts. You were even ruder the last time we bumped into each other."

Jeff scowled. The last time he'd talked to her was about six to seven months ago.

"You _do_ remember the last time we bumped into each other right? Or were you too drunk at the time."

He was drunk at the time. So drunk, in fact, that he ended up sleeping with a Diva he barely knew… who now happened to be one of the most important people in his life.

"Yes, I do remember Beth. Is that why you're here, to give me a memory-check?"

"Good, so you remember about the bet we had…?"

For a second, he didn't know what she was talking about. And then an image flashed back to him. Eventually, the entire scene came back to him.

They were in the nightclub in Kansas, almost seven months ago, when Jeff had ran into Beth and her new boyfriend near the bathroom. He'd already had a few to drink, and ended up having a humorous yet tense conversation with the couple. By the end of the talk, Jeff had thrown himself into a bet… he told them that he could hook up with any Diva he decided to.

"Jeff? Are you still here?" Beth snapped her fingers at him, pulling the younger Hardy out of his trail of thoughts.

"Yeah, I do remember about that stupid bet. Thanks for refreshing my memory." He added sharply, sarcasm hinted heavily in his voice.

Beth simply smirked. She then fussed around in her purse, and pulled out a white envelope. She took a step towards Jeff, and extended her arm.

"Here, the 200 hundred dollars you won."

"What the fuck? I don't want your money!" Jeff snapped angrily, and was tempted to snatch the envelope and throw it in her face. "You think I gave two shits about that bet? That's why you're here. Because you think that's what Maria represents to me… A _bet_?"

"No Jeff, I'm not stupid. I was your girlfriend for three years, remember? I know you, and I know that for you to stay with a girl as long as you've stayed with Maria… well, it means that she's not just a bet."

"She means much more to me than you can ever imagine." He replied coldly, but sincerely. "I didn't even remember until now that the reason I hit on Maria in that club was because of a bet with you and your boyfriend. I was pissed drunk; I probably didn't know what I was talking about. So don't come here and insult me, by trying to give me money for my girlfriend. Maria isn't a game to me, and she never was."

Beth remained quiet, and looked at him with an unreadable expression. Then she sighed, and tore open the envelope.

It was empty.

Jeff gave her a confused and questioning look.

"There was never any money inside this Jeff… You didn't really think I was _that_ low, did you?"

"Then why did you pretend-"

"I wanted to see your reaction." She replied softly. "I wanted to see how much you cared about this girl."

Jeff simply stared at her. He wasn't really surprised that Beth would pull something like this… she was always the type of girl who had a few tricks up her sleeve.

"So you're just as sneaky as always…"

"And you're just as gullible." She replied with a tight smile.

"You know, you could have just asked me how I felt about Maria. You didn't need to put on that little show."

"Oh _please _Jeff; we broke up three years ago and the last time we "talked" was only a few months ago, in a steamy nightclub where you were completely drunk and I was showing off my new boyfriend. You don't think it would be a little weird for me to just show up here and ask you casually about you're new girlfriend? The one that I unwillingly hooked you up with, might I add."

"Well it would have been less weird than pretending to give me an envelope with money, just so you can get a reaction out of me."

Beth chuckled lightly, and tugged on her long blonde hair. Jeff knew that she always did that when she felt nervous. And he was feeling quiet nervous himself… Here he was having a rather bizarre conversation with his long-lost ex-girlfriend, who'd just showed up in his locker-room when he'd least expected it.

"So… was it worth it?"

"Was what worth it?" Jeff asked, although he had a slight feeling that he knew what she was getting at.

"All this…" She pointed around her. "Was it worth breaking up with me?"

Jeff sighed. Four years later and still hadn't dropped the damn subject.

_Some people just never change…_

"Beth, we've been through this over and over again. And we both agreed that it was a _mutual_ breakup!"

"Yes, I know."

"Then why are you still acting like I'm the one who broke up with you? Like I chose wrestling over you?"

"…Because you _did_, Jeff. If you hadn't had such a passion for wrestling, then maybe we'd still be together right now."

The younger Hardy shook his head.

"No, not necessarily, and stop trying to put the blame on me. We broke up because we had different roads to follow. I wanted to be a wrestler, and you wanted to paint."

"But I would have given up my dream to be with you. You see Jeff, that's why you _are_ the reason we broke up. You loved wrestling more than you loved me. You wanted a future in the wrestling industry more than you wanted a future with you're three-year-long girlfriend, who you were supposedly in love with."

At that moment, a sound of rapid footsteps could be heard coming from the hall.

Jeff turned around and saw that he had left the door partly open; he quickly closed it, and turned back to face Beth.

Before he could say anything in his defense she cut him through.

"At least you won't have the same problem with Maria."

"Meaning…?" He prompted.

"Meaning that since she's actually a wrestler as well, she won't have to worry about you choosing your career over her."

Jeff seemed thoughtful, and then a surprising smile appeared on his face.

"You're right. I wouldn't choose my career over Maria."

"Wow… I think this is the first time you've ever agreed with me without putting on a fight." Beth laughed, and she was going to continue talking when Jeff interrupted her.

"I wouldn't choose my career over Maria, because she's more important to me than wrestling is."

Beth was taken aback by what he'd suddenly said.

Jeff himself was surprised: first of all, he never thought he'd find anything more important to him than wrestling, and second of all, he'd just admitted something that he wasn't even aware of up to this point.

But suddenly, everything was becoming clearer to him.

"So, wait… You're telling me that _Maria_ means more to you than the WWE?"

"…Yeah. I think so."

Beth laughed: a cynical, unpleasant laugh.

"Wow, you're really something Jeff. You break-up with a girl you dated for three years because you're wrestling career was more important to you, and now you're telling me that this Diva you've been with for only a few months means more to you than you're career?"

"What I'm saying is that I would never let my career get between my relationship with Maria. I'm sorry Beth…" He said softly. "I know this is kinda harsh to hear. I know you were my girl for a hell of a longer time than Maria, but still… I never felt about you the way I feel about Maria."

"I guess that's what happens when you're in love."

Jeff didn't say a word.

_Did she just say I was in love with Maria?_

He couldn't help but feel shaken. He was aware that he felt very strongly about Maria… but the word _in love_ wasn't something he'd really thought about.

"I-"

"It's okay Jeff, don't answer." Beth cut him off. She had a small smile on her face now. "I don't really want to know whether you love Maria or not… Even though I'm pretty sure I already know the answer."

She looked at him for a few seconds, then proceeded to putting her jacket back on.

"I have to go. My train leaves in an hour."

"Wait, Beth. I still don't understand why you came here. To see how I feel about Maria?"

"To see if you were happy with her. And… I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad you are." She said, and looked sincere. "I'm glad she makes you happy."

"She does."

Jeff smiled. He took a step closer to her, and she was surprised when he wrapped his arms around her for a small hug.

They had a shaky past together. They had been lovers for three years; but more importantly, they had been friends. And that short lived hug reminded them of the strong friendship they once shared.

When Jeff pulled away, Beth looked him in the eyes.

"Don't let another great girl get away this time." She chuckled. "You make her your top priority now."

Jeff nodded. He was touched by the support his ex-girlfriend was suddenly showing him.

After one last short hug, Beth opened the door to the locker-room and stepped out. Just as suddenly as she'd shown up, she'd suddenly gone.

Jeff took a seat on the leather couch, feeling washed out. The controversial conversation he just had was still planted in his mind.

But out of all the things Beth had said to him, he knew one thing for sure.

_Maria is my top priority now. And I'm not letting her get away…_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Maria Kanellis sat still on the edge of her bed, in the hotel-room she shared with Jeff. She had a sullen expression on her face… and her suitcase standing beside her.

She was leaving.

She didn't want to. It was the last thing she wanted to do… but she had to. She had to do it for herself.

_It's the only way I won't get hurt…_

It was funny how the only way she could protect her heart from breaking, was by leaving the man she cared about the most.

A few hours ago, Maria had overheard the conversation between Jeff and his ex-girlfriend Beth.

She hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but when she passed in front of her locker-room, found the door slightly open and overheard Jeff talking with a woman, she couldn't help but listen in. Throughout their conversation, she found out that the reason Jeff and her had slept together in Kansas was due to a bet he'd made with his ex-girlfriend. But she didn't care about that: in fact, Maria was touched when Jeff stood up for her and said that she'd never been a bet in his eyes.

What she did care about, was what she heard next. Jeff and his girlfriend of three years broke up because he cared more about pursuing his wrestling career, than staying with the woman he loved.

At first, when Maria heard this, she didn't think much of it. And then, just as suddenly, an image came in her head.

She imagined going through the same fate as Beth did.

She imagined Jeff leaving her to focus on his career. And the emotions she felt when she pictured this was just… intolerable.

Not wanting to hear the rest of the conversation between Jeff and Beth, Maria had rushed off, hurried back to her hotel-room and started throwing her clothes in a suitcase.

Before she knew it, she was packing everything. She wasn't being rational, and she knew that, but the pain she felt when she thought that Jeff could leave her one day had taken the Diva by surprise. She didn't know she felt that strongly about him. She never thought she could feel that strongly about anyone.

In her head, she had to run. She had to run away before getting hurt.

_If Jeff breaks my heart… I'd never get over it_

Maria now sat on the bed, clutching her suitcase. The tears were forming in her eyes. She already felt her heart-breaking.

But she knew that if Jeff were to break her heart, the pain she'd go through would be ten times worse than what she was feeling now.

And so she had to leave. It was incomprehensible, stupid, impulsive… but to Maria it made sense. It made horrible sense.

Suddenly, the door to the hotel-room opened, pulling the red-head out of her sad thoughts. She looked up to see the man her heart was aching over, the man she cared for more than anything, walking in.

"There you are! I was looking everywhere…" Jeff's voice trailed off as he noticed the suitcase Maria held close to her. She was looking at the floor.

"What's that?" Jeff said in a tight voice. He immediately felt that something terribly wrong was going on.

"What does it look like…?" She whispered, in an almost inaudible voice.

"It looks like you're going somewhere!"

Maria slowly stood up, holding her suitcase, as her eyes were still staring at her feet. Jeff took a step towards her. After a few seconds, she took a deep breath, and looked at him.

The tears had rolled down her cheeks.

"I'm leaving you Jeff."

In her 25 years of life, those four words were the hardest thing Maria had ever had to say. It was almost physically painful to her.

"What?! What the hell are you going on about?" Jeff said hysterically. These few words were also physically painful for him to hear.

"It's over."

As she whispered this she tried to pass by him, only to find his arm pulling her back desperately to face him.

"_Over? _Maria, what the fuck is going through your head?!" He was yelling. He didn't want to, but the fact that Maria had suddenly decided to end the best thing he'd ever shared with someone, was too much for him to handle. It made him feel anger, pain, and fear… all of this in less than a minute.

_Is this a fucked up dream? Is she really leaving me?_

It made him feel sick.

"It's over Jeff! The way it was over between you and Beth, it's now over between you and me!" She was yelling too. The strong emotions were getting the best of both of them.

"Beth? Oh… Oh I get it now…" He said slowly, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You heard me and Beth talking right? So that's what all this is about… I think I get it."

"I don't think you do…"

"And I don't think it's a coincidence that you decide to bail on me the same day that my ex-girlfriend shows up!" He raised his voice. "I know you heard us talking, so if this is about the whole bet thing-"

"It has nothing to do with the bet. I know you never considered me as that…"

"Then _why _are you leaving me?!" His voice had turned to one of desperation, sadness. Maria had never seen him so vulnerable before.

She wanted to cry. She didn't want to talk; all she wanted was to throw herself in his arms and cry her heart out.

But she knew that she owed him an explanation.

"You left the woman you loved, the woman you stayed with for three years… so you could become a wrestler-"

"And you think I'm gonna do the same to you?!" He quickly interrupted her. "Didn't you hear me tell Beth that I would never do that to you?! Or did you stop eavesdropping at that point?"

Maria looked him straight in the eyes. She hadn't heard that last part; but even so, she still felt like she had to get away.

"No, of course you didn't hear that part!" Jeff continued, furious. "After you heard why me and Beth broke up, you just ran away and assumed the worst of me didn't you?"

"I ran away 'cause I don't want to go through the pain of losing you!" Maria cried, shutting Jeff up in the process. "When Beth said why the two of you broke up, when she said that it ended because you chose your career over her… I… I just had an image that I'd go through the same thing. And the pain I felt when I pictured this was _unbearable_ Jeff." Her voice cracked. "It was more painful than you'd ever imagine… It was more painful than I'd ever imagined! And all this just by _thinking_ that you'd leave me one day… And so what if it happens for real? I don't think I'd ever get over it. If you ever leave me for your career one day, I'd never get better again! If you ever leave me for whatever reason-"

"I _won't _leave you!" He cupped her face in his hands. "I won't. So please don't leave me…"

He was begging. For the first time in his life, Jeff Hardy was begging. The tears had swollen up his eyes as well.

His soft hands on her cheeks made her want to crack again; they put all her defenses down. But she knew that she had to stay strong.

"I've always looked out for myself Jeff." She said, as she tried to calm her shaky voice. "I've always taken care of me. I've always watched out for myself. And I know it sounds stupid, and selfish, but that's how I've always been… And I have to protect myself from getting hurt." She was crying now… "My top priority is me, and this is the only way I won't break…"

Jeff stared at the woman sobbing in front of him, as a single tear fell down his cheek. He put his arms back towards his side, and at that moment he felt it… Deep down inside, he felt that he was losing her.

"It's funny…" He whispered. "A few hours ago, I told Beth the exact same thing. I told her you were my top priority."

The pleading and broken look in his eyes was too much to bear for Maria. She knew she had to leave straight away, before she changed her mind.

_Before I get my heartbroken…_

She shoved past him, and hurried towards the door. She was still crying.

As she opened the door, she heard his voice. His powerful, beautiful southern accent that always gave her the shivers.

…Except that this time, his strong voice was covered with sadness, pain.

"So you're leaving me because you're scared…?"

Maria didn't turn around to face him. She kept her tear-stained face in front of her, and whispered.

"I'm scared of the way you make me feel, Jeff."

….And then she was gone.

She'd dragged her suitcase behind her, closed the door, and she was gone.

Jeff stayed in his position in the centre of the room for what seemed like forever. He'd never felt so emotionally drained before.

All the things she said were still echoing in his head, they were still registering.

And the only thing that Jeff felt was loss. He'd lost the person who'd made him the happiest man on earth.

Now all she left him with was a broken heart.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There's chapter 20 for you! The most dramatic chapter yet…

Please don't hate me though! I had to add a few obstacles for Jeff and Maria… or it wouldn't be fun 

Here's a little preview for what's coming next:

_Jeff gets post-breakup advice from the most unlikely person…_

Please leave reviews!! :)


	21. Fall To Pieces

Ever Fallen in Love

Ever Fallen in Love

Author's Note:

Thank you all so much for the reviews!! They mean so much…

And I'm sorry for the long wait! I was on holiday so I was a little slow on updating… But I'm back and from now, I'll be updating every week as usual 

Now… Here's chapter 21!

Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty One: Fall To Pieces

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jeff Hardy threw punch after punch at the air in front of him, as he jogged through the empty ring. He was the only person in the arena, which is exactly what he needed.

He still had trouble adjusting to the fact that Maria had left him.

He missed her. Five days had passed since she'd abruptly walked out on him, and since then he'd woken up every morning hoping against hope that she'd be in his arms again.

_That's where she belongs…_

But he hadn't heard from her. He hadn't even heard _of_ her, since everyone around him had been ordered by Matt to not mention Maria's name in front of Jeff. The older Hardy boy had done so, knowing that it would help his brother forget about the woman who broke his heart.

But Jeff could never forget her, even if he wanted to. And he didn't.

The one thing he wanted to do was to run back to her, to get on hands and knees and beg her to come back to him. He would have done anything to be with her again.

But something held him back… it was Maria's happiness.

He wanted her to be happy, even if that meant that he would never be. Even if that meant that he would never get the chance to feel her soft lips on his again…

_Maria being happy is what counts. _

He hoped that he'd still feel the same way in two days, when he'd have to do a promo with her on Raw for their storyline. He hoped that he wouldn't break after seeing her again… that his primary intention to keep her happy wouldn't be crushed by his need to be with her again.

Jeff tried to push his thoughts of Maria to the side, at least for the time being, as he jogged restlessly around the ring. The sound of mellow rock music blasting through his earphones soothed him… at least a little bit.

Just as he was starting to feel more relaxed, the intro to the song "Fall to Pieces" suddenly played.

The Charismatic Enigma automatically pulled his earphones out. He stared at the title from Avril Lavigne imprinted on his Ipod, and let out an exasperated sigh.

Just as he was starting to keep Maria away from his thoughts, her favorite and most annoying song decided to play in his ears, and immediately reminded him of her.

It looked like he was never going to get the Diva out of his head, not even for a little while.

He let out another sigh, and decided to go sit in one of the thousands of empty seats in the current Raw arena. He ran up a couple of stairs, and made himself comfortable in one of the random grey chairs. Jeff pulled out his cell phone, and found one missed call from his buddy Randy Orton, two missed calls from his brother Matt, followed by a text message.

_Hey man. Just letting you know that I convinced Jericho to take a room for him and Trish, so that means there's a free empty bed for you. I really think you should come stay man, it'll do you some good. I know you wanna be left alone right now, but we could go do some seriously manly stuff, to get your mind off things… Give me a call when you make a decision. –Matt_

Jeff was so engulfed in the message, thinking whether he should room with his brother or continue moping by himself, that he didn't notice someone silently slip in the seat next to him. Finally he looked up, and almost had a heart attack. The person suddenly sitting next to him was not only eyeing Jeff with his icy glare… but the person sitting next to him was none other then the Undertaker.

The younger Hardy had a look of surprise and confusion as he stared back at the Deadman.

_Why the hell is he sitting so close to me…?_

But what made Jeff feel particularly uneasy was the fact that the Undertaker was still looking straight at him, with his usual cold and unfriendly expression. He didn't blink once.

Just as Jeff finally gathered the courage to say something, the Deadman spoke up.

"You look like someone who's lost their soul."

Jeff was taken aback… Not because of Taker's robotic and intimidating tone, which is something he was slowly getting used to, but because of the question itself. Actually, it struck more as a statement then a question.

"Um…" Jeff searched for what to say. "I guess you could say that…"

Undertaker squinted his eyes at him. He seemed to be analyzing Jeff, like a professor analyzing his subject.

"She'll come back to you." He suddenly said, which immediately made Jeff's head snap towards the Undertaker. "You're lady friend… The red-head… She'll come back."

Jeff simply stared, shocked by how this conversation was going… And _who_ the conversation was being held with.

_Am I talking about my ex-girlfriend with the Undertaker…? Damn. _

But the Deadman seemed to be as serious as ever, and the last thing Jeff wanted was to "upset" him.

_So Taker wants to talk about Maria…? Let's talk about Maria._

"How do you know she'll come back?"

"I'm the Deadman. I know everything…"

Just as Jeff was really beginning to think that the Phenom was, in fact, truly disturbed, the slightest smile appeared on the face of the Undertaker.

"I'm serious." His smile suddenly faded. "She'll come back to you."

"Okay…" Jeff slowly replied. "What makes you so sure of that?"

"When you've seen and been through as much as I have Hardy… You know that this world is a filthy place. It's difficult and obscure, and tares people away from each other." The Undertaker began in a weaker voice than usual. "It separates good people from one another. Yet, good people always manage to find each other in the end. They manage to face this dark world together… You know how the good people always find each other?"

Jeff shook his head; he felt like a student listening to his mentor.

"Love. When you _truly_ love someone, you always find them. You always go back to them."

It was surprising how someone as tough and frightening as the Undertaker could believe and speak about love. It was almost unsettling for Jeff.

"Yeah, but I don't think Maria 'truly' loved me. I don't think she loved me at all. If she did, she wouldn't have left… She wouldn't have _just _left like that."

Undertaker continued fixing him with his unreadable expression.

"Are you stupid?"

Again, Jeff was taken aback.

"I'm not _stupid_, I-"

"No, you're stupid." Undertaker cut him short. "You really think she left you because she _didn't _love you?"

"That's why most people leave isn't it?!"

The Deadman let out an exasperated sigh.

"You do know, Hardy, that every strong human emotion is… complicated?"

Jeff nodded slowly.

"And you do know that love is the strongest emotion there is… therefore, it's the most complicated one! Don't you see: that's why most people run away from it. It's the sort of emotion that often brings fear with it, pain… Some people have trouble adjusting to it all. But once they do, once they accept the fact that they are in love, they stop running. They always go back to the ones they truly love."

Jeff stayed silent. Taker's words had somehow hit home.

"The night she left… She told me that she was scared of how I made her feel."

"My point proven… She'll come back."

"Okay, but you said people come back only if they _truly_ loved the people they left…" Jeff emphasized sarcastically the word truly. "How do you know Maria was really in love with me in the first place?"

Undertaker didn't say anything for a few seconds. He simply stared at Jeff.

"Did you notice how I always look at people straight in their eyes?"

"Um…Yeah." Jeff said a little uncomfortably. "You're doing it right now."

"Why do you think I always do this Hardy?"

Jeff shrugged.

"I do this because the eyes are the windows to one's soul. You can see a person's soul through their eyes, you can see how they feel. With a little extra talent, you can tell almost anything about a person by looking deep in their eyes."

"So you know that Maria was in love with me 'cause you looked into her eyes?" Jeff said with slight irony.

"I didn't really have to look; it _showed_. She had a sort of glow in her eyes, a flame, whenever she was near you. It was very obvious. I'm surprised even you didn't notice it."

Jeff thought back to the times he'd look deeply into Maria's eyes. He used to do it a lot, and yes, her eyes did sort of light up whenever she looked at him.

That was love?

"So you stare at people just to know how they feel towards each other…?" Jeff chuckled.

This time it was Undertaker who shrugged.

"It amuses me."

Jeff smiled. He couldn't believe that out of all people, it was the Undertaker who came up to him and gave him a grand lesson about being in love. And what's more… it actually made sense. Jeff was feeling relief.

_Maybe I haven't lost Maria just yet…_

"Um… thanks Taker, for the prep talk." Jeff admitted. "I appreciate it, even though I don't really get why you decided to help me."

"Like I said, it amuses me."

Jeff smiled again, and felt a sudden rush of friendship towards the Deadman.

"You know, you're not so freaky after all. Me and the guys are going out tonight, if you wanna join-"

"Don't push it."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Maria yawned. She truly was tired… it was the result of the last few sleepless nights she'd been having.

She slowly lied down on the couch of the hotel room, deciding she'd take a little nap before her room-mate came back. She stretched, and made herself comfortable.

A few minutes later, she was beginning to drift off to sleep… until an image of Jeff Hardy formed itself in her mind.

Her eyes shot open, and she sat back up on the couch.

_Why does this always happen every time I try to sleep!?_

Unfortunately, she knew the answer… more or less. Ever since the break up, Maria had done everything to _not _think of Jeff. She'd block out every single thought that related to him. It was the only way to avoid the pain of not being with him anymore…

And so, since she didn't allow her conscious mind to think about the Rainbow-Haired Warrior, her unconscious mind would do it for her when she'd least expect it. Whenever she'd be falling asleep, whenever the walls she'd created around her were unguarded, an image of Jeff would suddenly show up in her head. She'd picture his smile, his eyes… _him_. And Maria wasn't getting any sleep because of it.

Maria sighed… the worst had yet to come. In only two days, she'd have to actually face him again. She had a backstage segment with him on Raw, and they'd have to talk. Even though it would just be scripted talk, it didn't do much to help Maria's no-thinking-of-Jeff-ever plan.

For the first in her life, she actually dreaded being in the same room as Jeff Hardy. It was funny, because only a few days ago, being in his arms was her favorite place on earth.

She missed him… even more than she thought.

_I have to stop!_

Maria quickly pushed the thoughts of Jeff to the side, before she started longing for him… _again_. She grabbed the television remote, and watched the first thing that came onto the screen. She needed the distraction.

After a few minutes, the door to the hotel room opened.

"Hey!" She greeted her roommate, who was carrying a brown plastic bag. "What's that?"

"Some Chinese noodles. I got them for you."

"Oh, thank you Phil!" She took the bag from CM Punk's outstretched hand. "My favorite ones too…"

"Yeah, I know." He smiled.

Maria smiled back… but only in a friendly way.

Because that's all Phil was to her: a friend… nothing less, and definitely nothing more. Even though they had a past together, and even though she knew that he still had feelings for her, they had been living together in the past five days strictly as friends. The Straight-Edge-Superstar knew that that was the only type of relationship Maria wanted with him. And so far, he hadn't done anything to make her uncomfortable or to try and seduce her. For that she was grateful.

But as she took out the chopsticks for her noodles, she noticed that CM Punk was still smiling at her. He seemed to be in deep, serious thought.

"Is there something on my face?" She asked with a grin.

"No, no there isn't." He laughed. "You look as beautiful as always Maria."

She looked at the floor for a second, and then looked back up at him. He was still looking at her.

"Then what are you staring at?"

"I'm not staring… I was just thinking of something."

"Thinking of what?"

He sighed, but he still had a light smile on his handsome face.

"I was thinking that… well, it's been a few days now and I still don't understand why we're roommates. Not that I mind!" He quickly added. "I love having you here Maria, I really do. I just think that, as your roommate and your friend, I should know why you decided to stay with me."

"I told you why…" She said in a small voice. She had really hoped to avoid this subject of conversation.

"Yeah, you told me that you and Jeff got in a fight."

Maria silently winced at the mention of Jeff's name. She quickly sucked in the momentary pain his name caused her, and looked at CM Punk straight in the eyes.

"It's true! We did get in a fight…"

"That's not enough Maria…" He said softly. "When you told me that you and Jeff got in a fight, I thought it was just one of those fights every couple gets into and that you'd have made up by now. Instead, you're still living with me almost a week later, and you look like you're going to cry every time someone mentions his name!"

Maria was taken aback: she didn't know that Phil could see through her like that. She was convinced that no one noticed how bad she'd feel whenever the subject of Jeff Hardy was brought up.

_I guess I'm not as good an actress as I thought…_

"Look Phil, if you don't want me here-"

"No, no Maria of course I want you here!" He almost shouted, and his voice shook with sincerity. "I love living with you and you know that. I'm just saying that you owe me an explanation. I'm entitled to know why I have the honor of being your roommate."

Maria smiled, and she knew that he had a point. He was right. As much as she'd wanted to avoid it, she had to tell Phil the truth. He'd taken her "under his wing", and now he had the right to know why.

Besides, she'd always trusted him. She was going to be honest.

"Ok, ok you're right…" She said slowly. It would be hard for her to talk about this. "Jeff and I didn't just get into a fight; I broke up with him. I walked out…"

"Why?"

"Because I found out something that really scared me…" She inhaled lightly, as she tried to stay calm and composed. "A few years ago, Jeff used to date this girl called Beth. From what I know, he loved her. He loved her a lot. And last week, she came back. I heard them talking together in the locker-room. But that's not the part that scared me."

"Then what is it? I hope Jeff didn't do anything stupid!"

"No! No, he didn't…" Maria jumped in Jeff's defense. "He would never… He's too good to do something like that…"

"Then what did you find out?" CM Punk urged.

Maria inhaled again, trying to fight back the tears that were already forming in her eyes.

"I found out that he left this woman he loved so much in order to become a better wrestler… I know, it sounds stupid." She added after noticing Punk's confused yet concentrated face. "But it's not. I mean think about it Phil! He left the woman he was crazy about, the woman he stayed with for three freaking years because of his career. He chose wrestling over her! And, when I heard this…" She struggled to find the right words. "I imagined him leaving me as well. And just the though of it Phil… Just thinking that he might leave me one day made me feel horrible. I don't know why, but it was so painful. So… I just left."

"…Before you got more attached." He finished her sentence, as he looked at her supportively.

"And before I got my heartbroken…"

Maria's vision was blurred. The tears had rolled down her cheeks, and they kept on going. She stayed like that, crying for a few silent minutes.

She thought she wouldn't stop until Phil said something that took her by surprise.

"Jeff wouldn't break your heart."

Maria's head shot up to look at him. Was CM Punk really talking _Jeff's _defense?

_And he said it with so much conviction… _

"How do you know that?" She whispered.

"Maria, I may not be too fond of the guy, but there's a reason I let you stay with him without putting up more of a fight. He loves you."

Now she was even more taken aback.

"No, he doesn't…"

"Yeah, he does love you Maria. It showed. He was more passionate about you then he is about getting in the ring, and that's saying something. Especially about a wrestler."

"What makes you so sure…?" She shook her head. Somehow, she didn't believe it. Maybe she didn't want to.

CM Punk smiled again.

"I'm a guy Maria, and believe it or not, I see a lot of myself in Jeff. So I know what I'm talking about, and trust me, he _did _love you. I'm sure he still does. And I'll bet you my job that he would never leave you, or choose anything else over you."

Maria didn't say anything. She tried to clear her head: so many thoughts and emotions were taking over her. The Straight-Edge-Superstar took a seat next to her on the couch, and put his hand on top of hers.

"You have to stop running. It's normal to be afraid of a good thing, but it's not worth losing it."

"I don't want to get hurt Phil. I'm just being cautious…"

He nodded his head slowly, and tightened his hold on her hand.

"Don't let your precautions get in the way of your happiness." With that he stood up, and went towards the small bar of the hotel-room. Maria stayed where she was, her face still stained by the tears, and her heart still racing. She wanted Jeff back.

And despite everything Phil had told her, she still put her thoughts of the younger Hardy aside. She was going to stick to her decision. She wasn't going back.

_Maybe one day, it won't be so hard. I'll get used to not being with him… I have to stay strong._

"Can I ask you something?"

The red-headed Diva looked up towards Punk, who was looking at her from behind the bar.

"Of course you can." She chuckled.

"How come you wanted to be _my_ roommate? Why not Mickie, or one of you're lady friends…?"

The truth was that Maria had wanted to stay with CM Punk because, like he said, he reminded her of Jeff. Of course, he didn't make her feel safe and secure the way the Rainbow-Haired-Warrior did, but there was something comforting about Phil. Maybe it was the fact that he still had feelings for her. After all, she liked knowing that someone truly cared about her… even though she would never return Punk's feelings for her.

The only man she ever truly cared for was Jeff, and she knew that he would be the last.

"Well, you told me you're door was always open for me." She replied with a smile.

Punk seemed satisfied with her answer. He would never know that his resemblance to Jeff Hardy is what got him the prettiest roommate in the WWE.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There's chapter 21 for you, I hope you enjoyed!

For those of you who might be a little confused… Maria isn't thinking of getting back with Jeff or Punk. The only reason she's living with the Straight-Edge-Superstar is because of the slight similarity in personality he has with Jeff. She's hanging on to all she has left of Jeff… even though she refuses to go back to him. 

Now here's a little preview of the next chapter!

_Maria and Jeff face each other for the first time after their break-up, during their Raw segment. _

Please leave a review!! :)


	22. Living in Pink

Ever Fallen in Love

Author's Note:

Thank you all so much for the reviews!! I love you all for it :)

And I'm glad you liked the Taker/Jeff conversation… it was actually very fun to write!

Now… I give you chapter 22!

Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Two: Living in Pink

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Ugh!" Maria Kanellis shrieked in frustration as she threw all her belongings out of her duffel bag. All her clothes, along with her make-up, shoes, and accessories landed in a pile in the middle of the Divas locker-room, as Maria continued searching desperately for something to wear.

_Why… Why today?_

It was frustrating how she couldn't find a nice outfit on this particular day: out of all the times she could have afforded to look "ugly", it had to be now. Monday evening… the night she would be seeing Jeff Hardy again.

She let out a sigh, and dropped herself on the locker-room bench. She knew she shouldn't care this much. First all, Jeff would always find her the most beautiful woman on earth, no matter what she was wearing… and Maria knew that was probably still true, even after their break-up. And secondly, he _was_ her ex. It didn't matter anymore what Jeff thought about her… It shouldn't matter to her.

And yet it did. As much as she tried to deny it, she would always care what he thought. Even about something as insignificant as her clothes.

Maria was pulled out of her thoughts when the door to the Diva's locker-room opened, and her best friend Mickie James walked in. Her eyes darted towards the mountain of clothes in the middle of the room, and then on the red-headed Diva, who was sitting miserably on the bench.

"Was there an earthquake here or something…?"

Maria smiled, but kept her eyes on the floor.

"No Mickie, no earthquake…"

"Then why are you moping around like this?" She made her way passed the large pile of Maria's closet, and went to sit next to her friend. She took her hand supportively. "Listen… Honey, I know that it's hard… seeing Jeff again and all. But you shouldn't be this freaked out. I mean, it's not the first time you've broken up with a guy."

"It's the first I've broken up with someone like Jeff Hardy."

A short silence followed this. Both Divas knew Maria was right: more than right.

"That's true." Mickie slowly said. "But still, you shouldn't act so down because of this! Even Jeff would hate to see you this upset…"

"I think Jeff would hate to see me, no matter what I look like."

"Stop it Maria." The former Champion said in a firm voice. "You know that's not true. Jeff doesn't hate you. He's probably… well, your segment is in two hours and maybe he's-"

"Maybe he's what? Looking forward to it?" Maria cut her off sarcastically. "I don't think so Micks."

"What I'm trying to say is that maybe he's not dreading this as much as you are…"

Maria looked back down, and shook her head. She looked defeated. She _felt_ defeated.

"It's going to be so awkward…" She whispered. "It's going to be horrible!"

"Will you stop being so negative. It won't be horrible. I mean, it's Jeff for crying out loud! How bad can it get?"

Maria inhaled deeply, and looked back up at her friend. When she spoke, her voice shook.

"I'm scared Mickie…"

The former Champion took Maria in her arms, and held her for a tight hug. She could feel the sadness in her best friend. She could almost feel her breaking…

"I miss him so much…"

For once, Maria was allowing herself to talk freely about Jeff. She was stepping on dangerous territory, by actually admitting out loud how much she wanted him back. She wasn't trying to put him in the back of her mind, at least not now.

She couldn't, anyway, since she'd be sharing an interview with him and Todd Grisham in a few short hours.

_How am I going to cope…__?_

"I know honey."

"I miss him, and I'm going to see him soon and it's going to be so hard…" She started babbling again, almost against her will. "I'm going to want to run back to him, and I can't."

"Maria…" Mickie tempted. "I know what you're thinking, but you can still-"

"No I can't. Please don't say it Mickie." Her voice tightened.

She didn't want to hear it. She didn't want to be told, once again, that she could still go back to Jeff. It was hard enough struggling to stay away from him, without having her clothes friends tell her how much better off she was with him.

Maria took in a deep breath, and tried to recompose herself. She was going to be face-to-face with the younger Hardy Boy pretty soon, and it was absolutely out of the question that she would look weak in front of him. She didn't want him to notice how much she was suffering.

But deep down, she was sure he would notice. Jeff could read her like an open book; he could always see straight through her acts…

_I still have to try and look strong, and I will. _

"Maria."

She was pulled out of her thoughts once again by Mickie James. The former Champion looked at her thoughtfully.

Maria knew what she was going to say.

"Mickie, I know what I'm doing."

"You sure about that…? 'Cause you look pretty confused to me."

"I'm not confused! I know exactly why I left Jeff, and why I won't go back to him." She said in a firm voice, even though she could still feel that momentary rush of pain whenever she mentioned the break-up. "It's just… hard. All of this is hard. But I'll get over it. I _will_ get over him."

She hoped that one day she would truly believe that.

Mickie, on the other hand, didn't believe it one bit. But there was no need to argue with Maria: the girl could be annoyingly stubborn, especially when she set her mind on something.

She just looked at her friend, with disappointment in her eyes.

"Whatever makes you happy Maria…"

She got up before the red-head could say anything. But instead of going towards the door, Mickie stopped in front of the pile of Maria's clothes, and started going through them. She didn't look up to see her friend's confused look.

After a short while, Mickie pulled out an outfit. It consisted of Maria's favorite black mini-skirt, her black high-heel stilettos and a top the Diva had never worn before: it was a dark shade of pink with a sparkly black lining to it. She threw the clothes towards Maria.

"Here: I fixed your problem for tonight."

"Ok…" Maria answered, still confused. "Thanks I guess. But why this top…? I bought it like three years ago."

"It's the only pink top you had." Mickie said in all seriousness.

"And you were looking for a pink top because…?"

"Because Jeff hates pink."

Maria was slightly surprised by this comment. Before she could ask anything, Mickie had already made her way to the door. She was standing in front of it, as she looked at Maria with a blank expression.

"Jeff hates pink, and since you don't want to care about him, than you shouldn't want to look good for him tonight either. So wear this top: at least you know he won't be wearing the same color."

With that said, Mickie stepped out of the Divas locker room, leaving Maria alone with her thoughts and her pink top.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Hey, that's a nice color you got." Todd Grisham said in a friendly manner.

"Thanks man." Jeff nodded.

He and the interviewer were standing backstage, a few short minutes before the interview was to take place.

In other words, a few short minutes before Jeff would see Maria again. His heart beat pulsed through his veins at the thought of this.

"It's pretty original too." Todd went on. "I've never seen you wear pink before."

Jeff chuckled, as he passed his fingers through his light brown hair… and the new pink highlights he'd added to it. He smiled.

_Maria's in for a big surprise…_

After all, it was the bubbly Diva who'd offered him the hair coloring product, only a few months ago. He remembered the moment very clearly… It had happened just after Maria had "made peace with him". She'd walked into their hotel-room one morning, with a small plastic bag, and offered it to Jeff with that angelical smile of hers. It was her peace offering; her way of apologizing for the bitchiness she'd made him endure when they first got into their storyline.

It was the first time they'd considered themselves friends, and the beginning of an amazing and beautiful relationship.

And Jeff wasn't going to let go of that beautiful relationship. He would take the Undertaker's advice, and wait for Maria to be ready to come back to him. He would wait as long as it took.

In the meantime, there was no harm in "provoking" her a little bit. He was sure that the pink highlights, the ones she'd basically given to him, were going to shake her up a little bit. He was definitely curious to see her reaction.

And a few seconds later, Jeff's curiosity was satisfied. His heart did a few extra beats too… as he turned around and fell eye to eye with Maria Kanellis.

He quickly looked away. He thought his heart was going to burst out of his chest. He felt a sudden rush of emotion just by looking at her: she was simply breathtaking. But Jeff quickly got a grip of himself, as he remembered that one day, she'd come back to him. He was sure of it.

_We're gonna be together again. She just doesn't know it yet… _

With this comforting thought, Jeff managed to relax himself. He also managed to make himself look indifferent, as Maria took a few steps towards the interviewing area where he stood with Todd Grisham.

The redhead Diva, on the other hand, was struggling with her emotions a little more than Jeff was. She really wasn't prepared to see him again. Her heart, too, was beating ridiculously fast. Just by looking at him, she felt pain, heartache, confusion… and it all showed on her beautiful face. She tried to cover this up by keeping her eyes on the ground.

Every step she took towards him, she wished she could take back. The closer she got to him, the faster her heart would beat… Maria wasn't used to this sort of rush of emotions. She didn't like it one bit.

Finally, she was standing by his side. The interview would start any minute, and she had no choice but position herself close to him, to make it look like they were _at least_ an on-screen couple. Without even looking at each other, she could feel the chemistry…

When she was close enough, when she smelt his perfume… she tore her eyes away from the ground and glanced at him quickly. With that one look, her heart-broke even more.

Jeff didn't seem to be suffering _at all_. He just looked straight ahead of him, with a small smile on his face.

_Why the hell is he smiling when I'm going through this torture! Does he not care about me… not one little bit?_

Maria couldn't push these depressing thoughts out of her head. Yes, she knew it was her choice to leave. But it was hard, and she missed him… and it looked to her like Jeff didn't miss her at all.

What she didn't know, was that Jeff Hardy smiled for a completely different reason, and a more optimistic one. He just knew there was nothing to worry about.

He was going to get Maria back, even if it was the last thing he ever did.

Suddenly, both Superstars were pulled out of their thoughts by the voice of Todd Grisham, and the camera pointed straight at them. The interview had started; it was time to get into character.

"Joining me now are the current number-one-contenders for the Woman's Championship _and_ WWE Championship… Please welcome Jeff Hardy and Maria!"

Todd Grisham waited a moment for the fan's cheers to calm down, before turning the microphone towards Jeff.

"Jeff, you are _finally_ going to be headlining Wrestlemania in a match against John Cena for the WWE title… What are your thoughts about that?"

Jeff continued looking straight ahead of him, in deep thought. He knew what he was _supposed _to say. The writers didn't give him a script, but they pretty much told him how they wanted the interview to go.

But Jeff had other ideas.

"Todd, how 'bout I ask you a question…?"

The interviewer, along with Maria, looked very confused. He hesitated for a second.

"Um… Sure."

"Have you ever wanted something so badly…" He said, with a hint of passion in his voice. "Have you ever wanted something so badly that you thought you'd give up everything else for it?"

"Well, yes, I suppose I have…" Todd played along.

"Now what would you do if this something just slipped through your fingers? If you thought you had it, only to find it… gone?"

"I'd fight for it back."

"Exactly." Only at this moment did Jeff look at Maria. His heart tightened. "I've tasted gold before… I've had it around my waist. But now, I'm aiming for the big prize. And I'm gonna get it."

Jeff looked straight at the camera, and his voice was suddenly full of emotion. He was talking to thousands of people, but in reality, his little speech was only addressed to one person.

And she was standing by his side.

"I'm gonna fight for what I want. I'm gonna fight as long as I have to. I've never wanted _anything_ as much as I want this. I've never felt so strongly before…"

Without noticing it, Jeff's hand brushed slightly against Maria's. It sent shivers down both their spines. But he still looked straight at the camera.

He was literally pouring his heart out, something Jeff rarely ever did.

_For her it's worth it…_

"I've tasted gold before…" He continued, his voice still submerged with emotion. "And it was the best thing that ever happened to me… But I lost it. And believe me when I say that I will have it again. And I'll have it even better than before. Trust me on that."

Jeff turned his head back towards Maria: she could see the intensity in his eyes, the determination. But it only lasted a second. He gave his back to her and walked away… She was left alone with Todd, and the millions of viewers watching.

By the time Maria could recollect her thoughts, the red light on the camera turned off and their segment was over.

"Whoa!" Todd exclaimed as he looked at Maria. "I've never seen Jeff so… serious before. What got into him?"

"I don't know…" She whispered.

But Jeff, on the other hand, knew exactly what he meant…

Maria was his gold.

And she would come back to him. He believed in it.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There's Chapter 22! I hope you all enjoyed it… Please tell me what you think!

And here's a little head's up for the next chapter:

_Matt Hardy has a few harsh words in store for Maria… until someone comes to defend her. _

Please leave a review!! :)


	23. Leave Me Alone I'm Lonely

Ever Fallen in Love

Author's Note:

Thank you all so much for the reviews!! You guys kick ass! :P

Now… I give you chapter 23!

Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Three: Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Maria rushed through the backstage halls of the Raw arena. She was walking as fast as her legs would allow it.

_The faster I get out of here, the better._

A few minutes ago, she had stood next to the Charismatic Enigma while he gave a heartfelt speech about _her_. She hadn't registered it at first, but now she knew: she was the gold Jeff would fight back for. He wanted her back. And from what she could tell, he seemed pretty damn determined to get what he wanted.

Maria couldn't allow that. She had planted this idea in her head, this sort of restraining order telling her to _not_ get back with Jeff Hardy. And she was still going to follow through with her plan, even if Jeff tried to conquer her back.

But right now, she was shaken up, to say the least. After the roller-coaster of emotions she'd just gone through because of Jeff, because of his presence, because of how close she was to him… because of his _speech_, she didn't feel very strong at the moment. She just needed to get out of the arena.

She was only ten feet away from the exit door. She calmed down, just a tiny bit, as she thought of the nice long bath she would take. It would help her recollect her thoughts a bit, calm her nerves.

Apparently though, fate wouldn't be so nice to Maria on this particular evening. Just as she was closing in on the exit, she saw someone walking in her direction. He was the _very _last person she wanted to see… next to Jeff of course.

But this person wasn't much better than Jeff, seeing as it was his brother Matt Hardy walking towards her.

Maria took in a deep breath, and prompted herself to just look ahead, and try to ignore him. Maybe he would do the same.

But apparently she wasn't lucky enough.

"Running away again?"

Maria inhaled deeply, and turned around to face him. He definitely didn't look too happy to see her.

"Listen, Matt, I know I'm not someone you want to talk to. So just leave me alone ok…"

"Actually, I do want to talk to you." He said rather harshly.

"In other words, you want to insult me right?"

"Hmm… well, I _do _want to insult you, but I'm not going to scoop that low. However, there are still a few things I want to get off my chest. Not very nice things, I should warn you."

Maria chuckled sarcastically.

"Thanks for the warning. But you can spare me the 'not-very-nice-things' you want to say. I already have a lot on my mind-"

"I hope my brother is on your mind."

She paused, and glared at him.

"That's… none of your business."

"Hell it is my business! He's my brother, in case you forgot. And I do hope he's on your mind! I hope that sometimes, you stop and think of all the pain you put him through Maria. But then again, I don't think you really care. You wouldn't have left him if you cared."

"What?!" She snapped, before she could control her anger.

Out of all the things he could have told her, she didn't believe that Matt had actually resorted to that. It was the lowest thing he could have said to her. Did he really believe that Maria didn't _care _about Jeff?

That was so far from the truth, it almost made her blood boil.

"You have _no _idea what you're talking about Matt." She said between clenched teeth. "You… You really think I left Jeff because I didn't care!? That is the biggest peace of crap I have ever heard. I… Ugh! Why am I wasting my time! You'll never understand."

"What I understand, Maria, is that you broke his heart. He might not show it, but I haven't grown up with Jeff for over thirty years to be fooled by him. When you left him… I never saw him as miserable. Not even a few years ago when he lost his career to drugs. Even then, he wasn't as down as when you first left him."

Maria still glared at him, as she tried to push away the thoughts of a miserable Jeff… miserable because of her.

But after what she'd witnessed during their interview, he didn't seem that miserable anymore.

"When I first left him… yeah, maybe he was down back then. But he seems to be doing a whole lot better now!" She couldn't help but add a little sarcasm to it.

Matt chucked bitterly.

"That's because he has this messed-up idea in his head that the two of you are going to get back together."

"Well… It won't happen." She tried to sound strong and confident as she said this.

"I know it won't happen. I won't let it happen."

This time, he was the one glaring viciously at her.

"You broke his heart once Maria, I'm not going to let that happen again. You're not worth all that pain."

He kept on chuckling, and Maria felt herself getting more and more fed-up of this conversation.

"I _know_ I'm not worth it Matt. But it's not the sort of thing you should rub in my face."

"But it's true. You're worthless."

Now she snapped.

"Matt will you just stop it! We're not in kinder-garden anymore! Will you just leave me alone-"

"Why should I, after what you did to Jeff?"

"Maybe because _Jeff _for one wouldn't want you talking this way to me!"

"Oh! Oh I see!" Matt almost yelled. "So now you're going to try and use Jeff against me, right? You broke my brother's heart, and now you're trying to use him as way to defend yourself against me? Hmm… that's pretty sneaky Maria, even for you."

She was so tempted to slap him right there and then, it almost took all her physical strength to hold her back.

_Who the fucking hell does he think he is?!_

"But then again, I don't blame you for trying. You're not too bright up there." A small smile formed his face as he pointed towards his temples.

_That's it!_

Maria was ready to slap the taste out of his mouth, when suddenly, a strong voice spoke from behind her.

"That was uncalled for, Matt."

Both their heads snapped back, and their mouths almost hung loose as they noticed none other than the Deadman himself standing beside them.

He was glaring coldly at Matt, who couldn't get the expression of surprise off his features.

"Just leave the girl alone."

It took a few seconds for the older Hardy to snap out of his trance, and look at the Undertaker with as much courage as he could. Maria couldn't help but stare wide-eyed at both of them.

"No disrespect towards you, Deadman, but this is between Maria and myself."

"No, actually, this is between Maria and you're brother. The last thing you should be doing is picking a fight with her." The Deadman's voice remained calm, but intimidating.

"I'm doing what I think is right." Matt admitted roughly. "No matter what you think."

"Maybe, you don't care what I think. But Jeff? He wouldn't like this at all. In fact, he'd be furious to know what you're saying to the Diva."

"Since when do you know Jeff so well?" The older Hardy snapped before he noticed what he was saying.

Surprisingly, though, the Undertaker didn't respond to this. He kept the same unfriendly and untouchable expression as he addressed Matt.

"Since I had a talk with him, a few days ago. I can positively say that I understand what Jeff is feeling, towards all of this… especially towards you."

He turned to Maria as he said this. The red-head didn't move a muscle. She had the same blank expression to match that of the Deadman.

"In any case, it doesn't take a scientist to know that a man will not take it kindly if his brother or anyone else insults the woman he cares so deeply about. Do you disagree?"

Matt simply stared back. He wasn't trying to hide the anger he felt towards the Undertaker.

"I take you're silence for a no." The Deadman said, almost smugly.

"Whatever. I'm not wasting my time with her anymore." Matt glared at Maria. "Like I said: not worth it."

He gave her his back as he said this, but she could still tell how furious Matt was towards her. Before she could respond though, and before the Undertaker could respond, the older Hardy had started marching off. He made his way out through the exit door, and as it closed behind him, Maria felt a wave of cold air slap against her. It gave her the chills.

And the fact that the Phenom himself was staring at her didn't make her feel much better.

"Ignore him." The Undertaker muttered. "He doesn't mean what he says. He's only bitter because you hurt his brother."

"Yeah…" Maria slowly whispered. "The Hardy's always stand up for each other."

"Jeff doesn't need anyone to stand up for him. He knows _exactly _what he's doing."

He stared intently at Maria, especially as he said the last sentence. The red-head noticed this, and shifted uncomfortably on her spot.

"Well, thank you Undertaker." She said in an attempt to break the silence, even though it didn't seem to bother the Deadman much. "I mean it though. Thank you for helping me out."

The Undertaker nodded, and for one second, he didn't seem so scary to her anymore. In fact, he almost looked kind.

"You know, you're actually really nice." She smiled at him. "I don't see why you don't go out more, and hang-"

"Dear Lord, you sound just like Jeff."

The Undertaker rolled his eyes, and disappeared through the exit without further notice. Maria thought she heard him mutter something before making it out the door.

"If I hear the word _nice _applied to me one more freaking time…"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He felt rather proud of himself. After all, it wasn't everyday that Jeff Hardy gave such heartfelt speeches: he didn't like all the emotional trouble associated with them. But in this case, he was glad he'd opened up.

He was very glad, because he knew he'd gotten to Maria.

She had understood that he'd done the speech for her. And that he meant it. He knew it had shaken her up; first to see him with his pink high-lights, and then to listen to him give a deep talk about how he'd get her back.

_I definitely got to her…_

Jeff couldn't keep the smile off his face, even as he walked towards Vince McMahon's office. The Chairman had requested a meeting with him right after his segment with Todd and Maria, and from what Jeff had heard the boss wasn't too happy. The Charismatic Enigma knew he was in for an earful.

But even that didn't affect his good mood.

Finally he made it to his destination, knocked twice and stepped in.

"You wanted to see me Boss?" Jeff said casually as he walked into Vince's office.

The Chairman looked up from his folders, and motioned for Jeff to take a seat. He definitely didn't look too please at the moment.

"So a little birdie told me that you and Maria weren't sharing the same room anymore?" Vince went straight to the point, as Jeff sat down in front of him. "Didn't I make it very clear that you two were to share the same room, same car, same locker-room… hell the same bed if you had to! Now please tell me why my requests aren't being followed anymore?!"

"We, um… We had a little argument."

_Now that's an understatement._

"Damn it!" Vince suddenly yelled, as he put his face between his hands. "I _knew_ this would happen!"

Jeff gave his boss a confused look, as the Chairman rubbed his face in an exhausted manner. He finally looked up, and looked even more burned out.

"Listen Hardy, I put you and Kanellis in an _off-screen_ relationship. Now if you two really fell for each other, it's your damn business! I will not have it ruin the hottest storyline on Raw at the moment!"

"It's not ruining anything." Jeff protested calmly. "We just had a backstage interview together, and it went pretty well."

"For a blind eye it might have gone pretty well! But not for me Hardy. From the second that camera turned on, I could feel the tension between you two! Although I have to say, you used that tension to give a rather intense speech, which is good…" Vince trailed off, and then snapped back to his angry position. "But still! I don't want your little argument with Maria interfering with my storyline!"

"You're _storyline_?! I-"

Jeff had to interrupt himself, before he said something he'd possibly regret. But his expression switched to one of anger.

Sure, his relationship with Maria was a storyline for Vince. But to Jeff, it was the best and most passionate thing that had ever happened to him. And he definitely didn't appreciate the fact that Vince was calling it _his storyline_.

The Chairman seemed to notice the change in his most popular Superstar. He sighed.

"Hardy, listen to me. I'm not a heartless man, despite popular belief. I know what it's like to love someone."

"You sure about that?" Jeff spat before he could help himself.

"Yes I _am_ sure about that." Vince replied defensively. "I have been married to the same old woman for over thirty years, let me remind you."

"What's your point Boss?"

"My point is that even when you love someone, and if you have a falling out with them, you can't let it affect your work. Especially not in this business Jeff. The show must go on."

The Rainbow-Haired-Warrior didn't reply. He understood his boss's point from a business point of view; not from a human one.

"The reason I don't want this storyline to end just yet, is because it is so damn good!" Vince continued. "It's not often that we start a romantic angle that works so well. Actually, this is the first time since the Torrie and John Cena storyline that we do a romance that's main events the show! The fans just respond to it. They love it."

Jeff still remained silent, and the Chairman continued his speech.

"You know why the fans love it so much Jeff? Because it's _real_. From the moment you and Maria got on screen, you could feel the chemistry. And as the weeks went by, you could feel the honest affection going on between you two. So if you let this argument affect the storyline Jeff, not only will you disappoint me, and yourself, but also the entire WWE Universe."

Vince had hit a soft spot with the younger Hardy: he knew that Jeff could never let his fans down.

"You understand now Jeff?"

"Kind of." He answered relentlessly.

"Good! So you have one week to fix this!"

"What?" Jeff almost yelled, as the Chairman had taken him by surprise. "One week?"

"Is that a problem?"

"It kind of is, actually!" Jeff couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Look Boss: I know I'm going to get back with Maria, _eventually. _But you can't just force a couple to fix their problems, and give them a deadline too!"

Vince seemed honestly confused by this.

"Sure you can! I do it all the time. Ask Linda."

Jeff simply rolled his eyes.

"Listen kid. The sooner you fix things with Kanellis, the better it will be for you and for everyone! One week is plenty of time. And by next Monday Night, my- I mean _the_ storyline will be back on track and perfect again!"

The Chairman of the WWE looked like pure happiness as he went on and on about his 'amazing' idea. And once Vince set his mind on something, there was no point in arguing with him.

"Whatever you say Boss…" He sighed and got up. He left the office without turning around, but he still heard a faint "Brilliant idea" muttered by his joyful boss.

Once outside, Jeff leaned back helplessly against a cold wall. He was truly confused and anxious now.

One week to conquer back Maria? It wasn't enough time for him. If Vince had settled on a month, than _maybe_ Jeff would have been able to win her back. But seven days weren't possible. It was still too fresh from the break-up. She would refuse to listen to him, let alone be near him. How on earth was he supposed to get back together with her if he knew that right now, she would do everything to avoid him…?

_What am I going to do…?_

That's when an idea came to him. Jeff smiled within seconds: he knew exactly what he was going to do to get Maria back within this week.

Actually, he knew what someone else was going to do for him; because Jeff Hardy had just thought of the perfect person to help him out. If Jeff couldn't knock some sense into Maria right now, than he knew exactly who would…

That's when he took out his cell phone and dialed the number…

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There's Chapter 23 for you! I hope you liked it :)

Here's a little preview for the next, pretty important chapter. 

_Who's the mystery person Jeff called to help him out? And will he or she be able to convince Maria to do the right thing?_

Leave a review and you might find out! :P


	24. Everything You Want

Ever Fallen in Love

Author's Note:

Thank you all so much for the reviews!! I really appreciate them all… :)

And I apologize for the long wait… This chapter is very important to me and to the story, so I took a little more time writing so I wouldn't disappoint any of u!

Now… Here's chapter 24 for you all!

Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Four: Everything You Want

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Will you just tell me where we're going for Heaven's sake?!" Maria asked impatiently, as she turned to her friend in the driver's seat.

They'd been in the car for over an hour, and Maria still didn't know where they were heading. It was getting frustrating.

"You'll see. We're almost there…" He smiled as he said this, and kept his eyes focused on the road ahead of him. Maria thought she was going to strangle the former WWE Champion.

"Just tell me! I mean, you literally dragged me here with you to see this place of yours. You could _at least_ tell me what it's called!"

Much to Maria's irritation, John Cena simply continued smiling. She let out an exasperated sigh, and stared out the window, knowing she'd just have to wait some more.

_I'd better like this stupid place we're going to…_

A few minutes passed, and the scenery became greener and greener. She found it beautiful… until she recognized a mass of white tombstones in a beautiful large park.

Then she noticed the car moving towards the place, and stopping in its parking lot a few seconds later.

Maria looked at John with incredulous eyes.

"You're taking me to a _cemetery_?"

"What's it look like?" He replied with that annoying smile that Maria was really starting to hate.

Before she could say anything, he stepped out of the car and headed towards the park's main entrance. Maria had to literally run just to keep up with him. By the time she'd reached him, they were already in the heart of the cemetery. John kept on walking.

"Ok, John, no offence to you or to any of the lifeless bodies here…" She said slightly out of breath. "But I feel kind of uncomfortable. Why are we in a cemetery?"

He didn't answer, but continued walking. Then he suddenly stopped in front of one the tombstones. He bent down slowly, and simply sat on the grass in front of it. Maria quirked an eyebrow at him, and then she caught a glance of the name engraved on the tombstone.

Judy Cena…1959 to 1992…Beloved Mother.

Maria felt her heart skip a beat. Here she was, standing in front of the grave of one of her best friend's mother. And he was the one who had brought her here.

She looked down at John, who still had a faint smile on his face. He didn't seem sad at all… much to Maria's relief. She sat down on the grass next to him.

"So you brought me here to meet your mom?" She said quietly, with a small laugh.

"Yeah…" He chuckled, and then looked at her. "You know, you remind me a lot of myself, a few years ago."

"_I _remind you of _you_?" She laughed again.

"Yeah. Two years ago, I was exactly in the same… state of mind as you are now."

He turned his head back towards the tombstone, and continued talking in a quiet voice.

"I was a bad guy Maria. I hurt all the women I knew, just because I'd been betrayed by the first girl I ever cared for. I was a mess." He shook his head slowly. "And then I met Torrie… She changed my life. She changed _me_. I would have given my life for her, and I still would. But when I first realized that I was in love with her… I freaked out. And I left her." He turned back towards Maria. "Doesn't that sound familiar?"

Maria's smile had faded, and was replaced by a sad expression. She knew where John was getting at.

"It's not the same thing with me and Jeff."

"It's _exactly_ the same thing."

"No, it's not." She replied stubbornly. "I left Jeff because I'm looking out for myself. I don't want to end up hurt…"

"Yeah Maria, that's exactly what I'm trying to tell you. You left him 'cause your scared. I left Torrie 'cause I was scared too."

Maria just looked down.

_I'm doing the right thing for myself. __I know it._

"What's you're point John?" She said, and tried to look strong.

"My point is that while I was alone, feeling miserable because I wanted to protect myself, I was missing out on the best damn thing that ever happened to me!"

The passion rose in his voice, and it touched Maria.

"You know what I did, to finally realize how stupid I was being?"

"What…?"

"I came here." He looked back towards the grave. "I sat in this same spot, on this same grass, and I thought. And I knew that I couldn't go on without her in my life."

Slowly, she felt the tears forming in her eyes. Emotion was getting the best of her.

"There are no guarantees in life Maria. But would you rather live on the safe side and have nothing, or take a risk and have _everything_?"

Maria just shook her head, as she tried to stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks. She also tried to ignore the truth in John's words. She wouldn't let him convince her to go back to Jeff, not after all the pain she'd gone through to stay away from him.

"I don't know what I'd do if he left me…"

"I know the feeling Maria. Trust me, I felt the same way when I left Torrie. Hell, I was being even more stubborn than you!"

She tried smiling, but to no avail. She just looked pained, tortured.

"Maria, imagine yourself in that grave."

"What?" She chucked, surprised.

"Imagine yourself in that grave." John repeated in a serious voice. "Now, answer this: when you're lying there, under the ground, who do you want to see standing over your tombstone? Who do you want visiting you everyday, bringing you flowers, telling you that they love you?"

Maria paused, her voice caught up in her throat. She knew exactly who she wanted standing over her tombstone: his beautiful face and his multicolored hair was the first thing she saw when John asked his question. She didn't want to say it loud though. If she said his name, she would be giving in.

John, on the other hand, just waited. She knew he wouldn't say anything until she answered.

"Jeff…" She whispered. She'd given in.

John simply nodded.

"So you want Jeff to tell you that he loves you when you're dead…? Why don't you want him to say it when you're alive?"

"John, stop it…" She rubbed her face in her hands, in an exasperated manner. She hated his mind games.

"No, I won't stop it." He said gently, but with a lot of determination. "One day Maria, we'll all be in that grave. When you reach yours… wouldn't you want to look back at your life and see that you were happy?"

"If it doesn't work out with Jeff, I wont be happy. It'll hurt too much." She whispered again, more to herself than to John.

"To _hell _with that Maria!" The sudden passion in his voice shocked her. She looked up at him, and he was staring at her with intensity. "To hell with the heartache, with the pain, with the fear… Who gives a damn about all that bullshit if you get to be happy! If you have the chance to be with the one you love, even if it doesn't last forever, then all these crap emotions you're running away from shouldn't stop you! That's what I'm trying to tell you Maria…"

He rose to his feet, as Maria looked up at him with a tear stained face. The tears had stopped forming in her eyes though, for some reason she couldn't explain…

She continued to stare at John, as he gently touched the edge of his mother's tombstone. He turned back to her.

"My mom used to tell me that everyone deserves true happiness. Even if it doesn't last their entire life, everyone is entitled to be happy, to be in love…" John said gently, as Maria hung on every single one of his words. "That's what made me go back to Torrie. She's the one who made me truly happy. She brought me… bliss, I guess. And I know that even if I end up alone one day, even if she breaks my heart and puts me through all the pain in the world, I wouldn't regret all the good moments I spent with her… because she'd made me happy. Every single moment of pain she'd put me through, would be worth every moment of happiness she'd brought me."

He paused. He then approached Maria, and kneeled down in front of her.

"When I die… I know that I'll look back at my life and be proud. I won't regret anything, because I lived to the fullest. I got over my fear and made the right choice. I chose to be with the woman I love, despite the possible consequences, and I lived _happily_. You deserve the same Maria. You deserve the same with Jeff."

He squeezed her hands, and for the first time in a very long time, Maria felt something she thought had died. She had a feeling she thought she'd lost when she left Jeff.

"And between you and me…" He continued softly. "Jeff will _never _leave you. So it's up to you now. Either you don't listen to what I say, and continue 'protecting' yourself and feeling empty for the rest of your life… Or you go back, live the best life you can possibly imagine with the best man you can possibly ever have. You live life happily, and when you reach your tombstone, you'll have no regrets…"

Maria smiled. She'd listened to everything John said: at the same time, she figured out what she was feeling. The emotion that had died in her, but that had suddenly came back to life…

It was hope.

"So Maria, what's it gonna be?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jeff Hardy dreaded going back to his hotel-room. He'd felt this way since the night Maria left him, because he knew that every time he returned to his hotel-room, she was supposed to be with him. She was supposed to be by his side. She was meant to be there with him.

But she wasn't there.

_Another night alone… _

Jeff sighed, as he stepped out of the elevator and dragged himself towards his room. He hoped more than anything in the world that John had managed to knock some sense into her. He _needed_ to know that John had convinced her to come back to him, because the Charismatic Enigma felt like he couldn't go on another night without her. He wasn't allowed to, technically, since Vince wanted them back together by tomorrow.

But Jeff didn't care about Vince's orders. He only followed through with them because he wanted Maria back… more than he ever wanted anything before.

He snapped out of his thoughts, and took in a deep breath before opening the door. He stepped in, and for a split second he really thought that maybe, Maria would be waiting inside for him.

But his hope vanished by the time the door closed behind him. It was the same empty and lonely room.

She hadn't come back.

For a few seconds he stood still, as he tried to block out the pain.

_It doesn't matter. She's not back now, but we'll be together again some day…_

With these thoughts in his head, with this determination to get her back eventually, Jeff turned towards the bed-room and took out his cell phone. He still had to call John, and thank him for at least _trying_ to help him with Maria.

_She just wasn't ready to come back now, I guess…_

"Jeff?"

He froze. His heart skipped a few beats. His breath caught up in his throat.

It was _her_ voice.

He turned around, and his heart beat even faster when he realized that he wasn't just hearing things… because Maria Kanellis was standing there.

It took a few moments for the shock to wear down. He couldn't keep his eyes off her. After all, she was only standing a few feet away from him. Her luggage was just behind her, and she was smiling through a tear stained face.

At that moment Jeff understood.

_She came back to me._

In a flash he shut the small space between them, and before he knew it, his arms had wrapped around her in the tightest hug he'd ever given. He never wanted to let go.

"Jeff…" She sobbed quietly against his neck. "I'm so sorry I left. I'm so sorry…"

He didn't answer. He couldn't form any words. He didn't need to either: he'd forgiven her a long time ago.

"Jeff." She looked up at him, as he still held her close to him, his arms still wrapped around her. Their eyes met, and for the first time since they'd been apart… they felt alive again.

"Jeff…" She repeated. "I will _never_ leave you again."

He leaned his forehead against hers, and whispered in an almost inaudible, gentle voice.

"I know…"

And he really believed it. At that moment, as he hugged her and looked deeply in her eyes, he knew in his heart that she wouldn't leave again.

Slowly he leaned his face towards hers, and their lips met. It was a small, sweet kiss… but it still sent chills down both their spines. They'd missed each other so much. The kiss grew more passionate, her hands rubbed his neck as his hands caressed the small of her back. It was a tender moment.

Almost a minute passed, while they were lost in each other's kiss. Maria still had tears strolling down her cheeks, but they were only tears of joy. She'd missed him so much, and she wanted him. Her hand inadvertently slipped under his shirt, and she took it off without thinking twice. She then pushed him on the bed, and crawled on top of him… yet their lips hadn't left each other for a moment.

As her hand slowly made its way towards his jeans, Jeff finally snapped out of his trance. He gently grabbed her hand, pulled away from her kiss and looked at her deeply in the eyes. He wanted to be sure that she was ready, that she really wanted this. Maria understood this, and with a touched smile she gently kissed his lips again.

Yes, she wanted this.

Soon their close were on the floor, and Jeff was ready to make his entrance. Before he did so though, he left a trail of soft kisses on her face… and when his lips were close to her ear, he whispered the three most honest and beautiful words he'd ever said to anyone.

"I love you…"

And he meant it. But he didn't wait for Maria to answer, and he didn't need to. He could still feel her tears against his face and her smile against his lips. With a slow movement, she allowed him to penetrate and access the most private part of her being. Her body.

This time, they would remember the night they made love… because it was one of the most special nights they'd ever lived through. One of the most beautiful, and memorable as well.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There you have it! Again, I'm so sorry for the long wait! I hope you liked the chapter though :)

On the other hand, this story is slowly reaching its end… I think I'll only have two or three more chapters before I wrap this story I love so much!

As for the next chapter, here's a little preview.

_Jeff and Maria have a few people to thank for helping them rebuild their amazing relationship… and will Maria return those three famous words back to Jeff?_

Stay tuned for the next chapter! I'll get it posted as soon as I can, within the week :) Please leave a review!


	25. You Are My Home

Ever Fallen in Love

Author's Note:

Thank you all so much for the reviews!! They mean a lot… :) I'm glad you guys liked it!

So here we are, on to the 25th chapter… already! 

Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Five: You Are My Home

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Maria woke up with a smile on her face.

Keeping her eyes closed, she cuddled closer to the person sleeping beside her. She smiled even more. She could feel his strong arms around her; she could feel his heart beating close to hers. These were all feelings that Maria had missed so much. She'd missed Jeff so much, and now as she woke up in his arms, she wondered how she managed to survive for almost two months without him. Even his sleeping form brought a smile to her face. He brought her happiness, the sort of pure happiness John had talked about… The sort of happiness that was worth everything.

Jeff represented that happiness to her.

She leaned her face closer to his, and left a small trail of kisses on his cheek. Her hand gently massaged his neck, as she savored every moment she had with him. Slowly, Jeff started to stir.

Maria watched as his eyelids slowly parted. Immediately, a smile formed on his face. It was a small smile, but it was enough to make Maria's heart skip a beat.

His eyes fell on hers, and they simply stared into each other. They were captivated. Jeff was still smiling faintly into the pillow.

"Pinch me…"

"What?" She giggled.

"Pinch me." He whispered again, as he continued smiling at her. "I want to make sure I'm not dreaming…"

"You're not dreaming Jeff…" She laughed softly, and leaned in to give him a soft kiss on the lips. "I'm here."

Their fingers entwined, and she squeezed his hand for a brief second.

"I'm glad you're here. I was starting to wonder when you'd decide to come back…"

Maria quirked an eyebrow at him.

"You knew I'd come back?"

"Of course I did. I always knew. Why do you think I was so calm when we had that interview with Todd a few weeks ago?"

"…'Cause you knew it wasn't over…?" She whispered.

"Yeah, I really believed it wasn't over. I knew it wasn't. That's why I wasn't so obviously freaked out during that interview… Unlike you…" He smirked teasingly at her.

"So it was that obvious that I was freaked out, huh?" She asked, as she laughed gently with him.

These light-hearted moments between them were something they'd also missed.

"Are you serious? You looked like you were about to faint!" He laughed again, as Maria playfully hit his arm.

"I wasn't that bad!"

Jeff chuckled lightly, and held her tightly in his arms.

"Like I said, the only reason I didn't look like I was going to pass out as well, was because I knew you'd come back. And I said during that interview that I'd get you back, didn't I? I don't say things unless I mean them…"

A comfortable silence settled between them, as they simply enjoyed being together again. Maria cradled her head between Jeff's neck and shoulder blade: her favorite position. Her mind went back to what Jeff had just said. She then automatically thought of something else he'd told her, the night before…

"So last night… you meant what you said…?" She asked softly in his ear. "You know, when you said that… When you said I-"

"I love you." Jeff paused and looked at her meaningfully. "Yeah, I definitely mean it."

They were lost in each other's eyes again, and Maria felt her heart tighten. He loved her.

_Jeff loves me…_

Now that she knew, without a doubt, that Jeff really was in love with her… Maria felt complete. She had Jeff, she had his love, and therefore she had everything she could ever wish for.

She was on the verge of saying it as well, she was about to open up to him and tell him how she felt when the Charismatic Enigma put a soft finger on her lips.

"Don't say it…" He whispered.

Maria gave him a confused look, as Jeff simply caressed her face with his hand. He looked like he was lost in thought.

"I don't want you to say it, until you really mean it…"

"But I do mean it." She blurted out. She didn't want Jeff to think that she didn't feel as strongly about him as he did about her.

"I know Maria, but I want you to say it when you know in your heart that it really is true. When you know more than anything in the world that you love me… then you'll say it. Until then, I can wait." He smiled at her, and kissed her forehead. "I'll wait as long as it takes."

She looked at him, and thought of how lucky she was. Even though she was sure about how she felt towards him, she appreciated and loved the fact that Jeff didn't want to rush her into saying those three unbelievably important words. He was so understanding. What had she done to deserve a man like him? And how could she have been so stupid to leave him once?

At least she knew now that she would never leave him again.

She leaned closer to his face and planted a soft kiss on his lips.

"You know, we're going to have to thank John for knocking some sense into me…" She said after a short, peaceful silence. "And his mother too."

Jeff frowned, and quirked an eyebrow.

"His _mom_? Isn't she… dead?"

"Yeah, but she played an important role in all this… Speaking of which, apparently she's not the only "dead" person who helped us out…?" She offered him a sneaky smile, as Jeff's confusion grew.

"How did you know about Taker?"

"Well, about a week ago you're brother Matt and I had a very pleasant conversation." Maria said ironically. "And Taker came and kind of stood up for me. So I figured that you two had _bonded_, as strange as that sounds."

"Yeah, it is strange. But it's true. Taker was… supportive." Jeff's tone then became serious. "Now I want to know what my idiot of a brother told you."

"He didn't say anything he really meant…" Maria quickly added. She didn't want to create trouble between the two Hardys. "He was just angry, and he was standing up for you."

"But he shouldn't be so overprotective of me." Jeff sighed. "I can take care of myself. I can fight my own battles, and Matt just doesn't seem to get that."

"When he sees that we're back together, you'll have proven him wrong. You'll have shown him that you can fight your own battles, and you can win them." She tucked a strand of Jeff's reddish hair behind his ear. "And I'm not angry at Matt. You shouldn't be either."

Jeff looked her in the eyes, and slowly nodded. He was so happy to be with her, that even Matt's childish attitude didn't get him down.

"So anyone else we have to thank…?" He asked after a pause.

"CM Punk." She replied with a guilty smile.

Jeff gave her an incredulous look.

"_Phil_? You want me to thank your ex-boyfriend for helping us get back together? What the hell did he do to help us?"

"He didn't do anything, but he was definitely rooting for us to get back together." She continued, despite Jeff's surprised expression. "I mean, when we were living together, all he did was talk about how happy you made me… how much you cared for me. He really stood up for you!"

Jeff seemed to soften a little at this bit of news. He even smiled against his will, but when Maria saw his reaction he quickly turned his smile into another serious expression.

"Ok… so… we have a few people to thank for trying to help us out. A lot of unexpected people too…"

"You're talking about the two dead ones?"

"The two dead ones and the ex-boyfriend." He replied with a fake smile.

Maria laughed at him, as they snuggled closer to each other.

"It doesn't get much crazier than that…"

"Of course it's crazy. I'm Jeff Hardy, remember." He winked at her, as their lips met for another passionate kiss.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Torrie! Hold the baby!"

The blonde bombshell in question, the beautiful Torrie Wilson, simply rolled her eyes at her panicked boyfriend. Once again, John Cena was holding their daughter Trisha at arm's length, begging for her to take the baby and change her diapers. But Torrie wasn't giving in this time.

"No John. It's about time you learned how to change your owner daughter's diapers!"

"_Learning_ isn't the problem! It's hygiene that's the problem! I don't wanna get my hands dirty in her poo…"

Torrie gave him a disgusted look.

"Your hands dirty? It's not like you're making a cake with it you know…"

"But it's still disgusting!" John continued screeching as he still held Trisha away from his chest. "Now please, _please_, just change her diaper. You do it all the time! And I got a match I have to get ready for…"

Torrie simply sighed, and reluctantly took the child from John's arms, much to his relief.

"You'd think that the famous World Champ would be brave enough to change a diaper…"

"Hey, even _Umaga_ would be afraid of what goes on in her little panties."

Before Torrie could protest, there was a brief knock on the locker-room door. Then the Rainbow-Haired-Warrior stepped in, with a big smile on his face.

"Hey guys!" He greeted cheerfully.

"Hey man." John replied. "You look unusually happy… What's-"

As John was about to finish his sentence, the door opened again. This time, the beautiful Maria Kanellis stepped in. She had a huge smile on her face as well, as she took a step towards Jeff and held his hand.

John and Torrie stared at them with pure shock on their faces. Jeff and Maria in the same room? Torrie looked particularly confused by this. Her mouth hung open as her eyes darted from Jeff, to Maria, to Jeff, to Maria again… and then she finally understood.

"Oh my God!" She yelled happily, as she literally forced Trisha in her boyfriend's arms and ran to the happy couple. "I cant' believe it! You guys are back together! Oh! I'm so happy!"

Torrie giggled like a crazy and excited fan-girl, as she grabbed Jeff and Maria for a tight group hug. They laughed along with her, as John smiled genuinely at them… a smile that turned into a frown when he noticed the smell coming from his daughter's diapers.

"Torrie! Sorry to break up the little party but one: I want to join in the celebration and two, Trisha _really_ needs that diaper change!"

Torrie ignored her boyfriend for a few more moments, and then reluctantly tore away from her friend's hug. She couldn't stop giggling happily though. She took Trisha from John's arms, and headed to the bathroom.

"I'll be right back you guys! Don't go anywhere!" She yelled from the bathroom.

"We won't!" Maria answered. She then looked at John, and ran towards him for another tight hug.

"Whoa! Is this the international hug day or what?!" John laughed as he wrapped his arms around the Diva as well.

"No, it's just me saying thank you…" Maria smiled, as she let go of the Champ.

"Yeah man, thank you." Jeff added as he went for a handshake. "I really owe you one."

"No dude, you guys don't have to thank me." John answered sincerely. "I didn't do much. You guys got back together by yourselves…"

"But you helped a lot. You helped _me_." Maria said. "You helped me realize what I was missing out on. Without you I wouldn't have gone back to Jeff, at least not right now."

"But you would have eventually."

"I know, but you made me understand a lot of things… a lot of things that's going to make our relationship last this time."

"And you speeded up the process man, of us getting back together." Jeff added, as he put his arm around Maria's waist. "And for that I'm thankful."

John nodded, and smiled at his friends. He was truly touched by what they were saying.

"It's no problem. I learned a lot from my relationship with Torrie, about love… about life. I thought I'd pass on the wisdom." John chuckled, and then looked meaningfully at the couple. "I'm glad you guys are back together, really. You two deserve each other."

At that moment Torrie came out of the bathroom, and headed towards the group. She put her arms around John's shoulders and continued to smile at the pair in front of them.

"We were just thanking John for helping us out…" Maria explained. "He's the first one on our list of people to thank."

"There's a list?"

"Yep. And _CM Punk _is in it." Jeff answered with a sarcastic smile.

"CM Punk?" John repeated in surprise. "Why the hell do you have to thank him?"

"Because he took Jeff's side when we broke up, and said some really good things about him!" Maria said in Punk's defense. "And besides, he's not the strangest one we have on the list."

"There's stranger than having your ex-boyfriend on the thank-you list?"

"Yes, there's the Undertaker."

John and Torrie both gave them surprised looks.

"The Undertaker?!" They yelled at the same time.

At that precise moment, a sort of groan could be heard coming from outside the locker-room. The door was slightly open, and after the groan, the four Superstars heard very faint footsteps. Then, a black gloved hand pushed the door fully open… and the Deadman himself stepped in.

The Undertaker stared at the two couples in front of him with his usual cold glare. The four other wrestlers looked up at him with pure surprise, and a little fear… it was very often that they found the Phenom walking into their locker-room unannounced.

After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, the Undertaker finally spoke in his monotonous and intimidating voice.

"I heard the mention of my name…"

Another few seconds passed, before Jeff finally spoke up.

"Um yeah… Taker… I was just telling John and Torrie here that I planned on telling you thanks…" Jeff said uncomfortably, as the Undertaker continued glaring at him. "You know, for that little talk we had in the arena. You really helped me get my thoughts together… And now, Maria and I are back together, so… yeah. I was planning on thanking you for helping me out a little."

"And I wanted to thank you too!" Maria quickly added. "…For standing up for me the other day, when I was arguing with Matt. I really appreciated it. So thank you."

The Deadman didn't reply for a few moments: he continued looking over the Superstars with an unreadable expression.

"If you really want to show me your gratitude…" He finally said. "Then there is something you may do for me…"

Jeff and Maria looked up at him, as they were suddenly expecting the worst.

"Um… Sure…"

"I would like…" The Undertaker went on in an almost threatening voice. "For you to put an end to the rumor going around, stating that I am _nice_."

The four other Superstars were completely surprised by this… and a little amused. But the Undertaker seemed as serious as ever.

"The Undertaker is not _nice._" He went on, as he actually looked pissed off. "This rumor must me murdered, buried in the ground as to never resurface again. If you want me to except your gratitude, then you must make sure that this rumor is never to be heard of again."

It was funny to see the Undertaker so uneasy, because people were calling him "nice". Jeff especially had to suppress the urge to laugh.

"Alright Taker…" He said in amused voice. "I'll spread the word that you are not nice, and that people should never mention it again."

The Undertaker, although he still had a blank expression on his face, seemed to be satisfied by Jeff's answer. He nodded.

"Goodbye then." As he said this, the Deadman gave them his back and walked towards the door. "You and the redhead look good together by the way."

The four Superstars stared at him again in surprise and amusement, as the Undertaker abruptly stopped in front of the door. He'd just noticed that what he'd said to Jeff and Maria could be qualified as "nice".

"Damn it!" He groaned angrily, and marched out of the locker-room before he could hear the four other wrestlers burst out in laughter.

It was just one of those rare and funny moments you could never forget. And Jeff, Maria, John and Torrie were more than glad to share it together.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There you have it, chapter 25!! I hope you all liked it… :)

I'm leaving on holiday tomorrow, and I'm not talking my laptop so unfortunately I won't be updating for a while… But I'll be back in ten days, and I'll start working on the next chapter as soon as possible!

Here's a little preview:

_The Grand Finale: Wresltemania is here… Will Maria and Jeff finally make their dreams a reality, and become champions?_

Please leave a review!!!


	26. Better Than Love

Ever Fallen in Love

Author's Note:

First of all I am VERY sorry for the long wait everyone! I was on holiday, and since this is the last chapter… well I took more time to try and make it top-notch for you all.

Thank you all so much for the reviews though! You don't know how great it is for an "author" to have some feedback!

Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Six: Better Than Love

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Jeff!"

Maria Kanellis burst through the locker-room door, in a desperate frenzy to find her boyfriend. She needed him, now more than ever… _now _being Wrestlemania 25.

She let out a sigh of relief when the Rainbow-Haired-Warrior stepped out of the bathroom. He didn't even have time to greet the Diva before she sprinted towards him and threw her arms around his neck, in a suffocatingly tight hug. It was like she was holding onto him for dear-life.

"You trying to kill me before my match?" He managed to say with a chuckle, as her hold around his neck got tighter.

"No, I'm trying to reassure myself before _my _match… I'm up in ten minutes." Her voice shook on the last word.

Jeff pulled away from Maria, but he kept her hands in his strong ones. She had her wrestling outfit on, her hair and make-up were done… On the outside, she looked good to go. But Jeff saw in her eyes that she was scared. After all, this was the biggest match of her career, taking place on the grandest stage of them all…

And it was so much more than just a title match to Maria. He knew that this was the night where she could prove to the world, and to herself, that she was more than just a pretty face. That she was strong. Maria had been waiting for this moment her entire career… the moment where she would finally be accepted as a female wrestler, and not just a Diva.

Jeff knew more than anyone how much that meant to her.

"Maria…" He gently put his hands around her face and looked straight in her eyes. "You're gonna do great."

"How can you be so sure?"

Jeff rolled his eyes.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again… Because I believe in you."

_He believes in me…_

That was exactly what she wanted to hear. Jeff believed in her. Knowing that made her feel more confident… more determined to do well.

If Jeff believed in her, than she would not let him down. She could let herself down, she couldn't maybe even live with herself if she let the fans down… but not Jeff. She would never forgive herself if she let him down.

"And after tonight, you'll believe in yourself too." He told her reassuringly.

Maria smiled; she already felt better.

"Hey, I'm not the one headlining Wrestlemania tonight… How are you feeling?"

Jeff stretched his arms, cracked his neck and his knuckles.

"I'm ready."

He was ready. But at the same time, he was scared to the pit of his stomach. Maria wasn't the only one out to prove a point tonight. Jeff Hardy had a point to prove… he had to show to everyone who believed in him, and everyone who didn't, that he _could_ hold the big prize.

Suddenly the pressure was at a boiling point. It showed on his face, and Maria spotted this.

This time, she was the one who cupped Jeff's face with her hands. Just the feeling of her soft skin against his calmed him down… just a little.

"Look at it this way: whatever happens tonight, winners or losers, at least we still have each other. And if, and it's a very big if, you lose tonight…" Her voice suddenly turned sultry, as her fingers crawled down his chest. "I promise that I'll make you feel _much_ better when we get back to the hotel-room…"

Jeff wiggled his eyebrows, playing along with her little game. Maria giggled. She wasn't the type to talk dirty, not even with Jeff, but she took pride knowing that her little "promise" made him look less stressed out.

At that moment, there was a brief knock on their door. Whoever it was didn't wait for an answer, and simply stepped in… that person was Matt Hardy.

Ever since his argument with Maria, when he had called her a worthless, undeserving person for hurting his brother, Matt had not been in the same room as the red-headed Diva. Even though Jeff and Maria had gotten back together over three months ago, the older Hardy never got the chance to apologize to her. Sure, he could have called, but after the things he had said to her, Matt thought that Maria deserved a proper face-to-face apology.

Since that opportunity still hadn't occurred, it was needless to say that the tension in the room was suddenly awkward between the three Superstars.

"Um… Okay." Matt took in a deep breath and regained his confident composure. "First of all, before I give you the prep talk Jeff, I think I owe Maria here an apology…"

Maria smiled and cut him off.

"It's okay Matt; really, you don't need to say sorry. I know you were just sticking out for your brother…"

"True, but I was still way out of line. I said some pretty harsh things, and I swear I didn't mean any of them!" Matt quickly added. "But still, I shouldn't have acted like such a prick, and for that I'm sorry…"

Maria nodded, but that still didn't seem like enough for Matt. He kept on talking.

"The worst part is that I was a jerk with you, when the truth is that I don't want my brother to be with anyone else but _you_. You're all he needs Maria, and all he wants. So I really take back all the nasty things I said to you. You're amazing, especially for Jeff. You don't know how happy you make him-"

He was suddenly interrupted by Jeff's loud coughing.

"Matt, man, I'm right here. The least you can do is embarrass me when I'm _not _in the same room."

Maria laughed softly.

"I don't think that's embarrassing at all Jeffy." She said in an exaggeratingly sweet voice, and pinched his cheek.

Matt joined in the laughter, and soon after Jeff had gotten over his brief humiliation, he laughed along with them as well. All the tension in the room had definitely evaporated.

"So… We're good?" Matt asked the Diva after a beat, as he extended his hand to her.

"Yeah, we're good." And she was more than happy to make peace with him. She shook the older Hardy's hand.

But the brief, light-hearted moment between the three famous Superstars was interrupted by a quick knock on the door. Then Mike, one of the backstage crew members, stepped in.

"Maria Kanellis? You're match is on after the commercial break, so you have five minutes!"

With that said, Mike nodded at the wrestlers and closed the door behind him. After he left, Maria felt the pressure suddenly resurface. She looked at Jeff with wide eyes… Her time was now.

And once again, she didn't feel ready.

Before she could say anything, Jeff pulled her in for a short yet passionate kiss. Maria immediately relaxed. Jeff had that effect on her.

"Remember what I told you…" He whispered in her ear.

She tried to nod, and turned towards the door before the stress came back to her again. With one hand on the doorknob, she quickly turned back to look at the Charismatic Enigma.

"I won't see you before your match…" Her voice shook slightly.

"It's ok. Like you said before, we still have each other. Whether we win tonight or not… We still have a lifetime together. That's what truly counts."

It wasn't usual for Jeff to be so blunt. Even with the people he loved the most, he was never that open about his feelings. For instance, he'd never talked about a "lifetime together" with anyone else but Maria.

But she was always the exception to the rule. When they broke up, he made a heartfelt speech about her on national television… just to say that he'd never give up fighting for her.

_And I never will._

Maria was tempted to run back to Jeff: to kiss him, to hug him, or just to be near him. She was about to experience the most important moment in her entire career, and she needed Jeff's reassurance. He was her safety blanket.

_But I have to be strong. I have to be brave…_

With these thoughts set in her mind, Maria gave her boyfriend one last lingering look and stepped out of the room. A few seconds later, the Hardy's heard her yell something from the hall.

"Steal the show Jeff!"

The Charismatic Enigma smirked, and took in a gulp of air.

Now he was ready.

Matt put a supporting hand on his shoulder, and said in a low and admiring voice:

"Man, you were able to steal Maria Kanellis's heart… You can definitely steal the show tonight."

The smile on his face grew a little wider.

"…And the WWE Championship."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jeff Hardy's entire body was in pain. Every muscle, every bone… everything hurt. He was exhausted. He had no strength left in him.

Even the 80 thousand raging fans of Wrestlemania 25 weren't giving him the energy needed to pick up the win. He'd been fighting against John Cena for almost thirty minutes, in the most grueling and emotional match of Jeff's career. The WWE Championship was on the line. His _dream_ was on the line. And the Rainbow-Haired-Warrior was completely drained out.

He lay motionless in the middle of the ring. He could barely hear the crowd anymore. He didn't know where John was. He didn't think he even had the power to stand up and look.

After all, the chair to the head that his opponent and best friend had delivered to him was enough to knock him out. Jeff was surprised he was still conscious, even barely.

Then, from the corner of his eye he spotted John Cena slide back into the ring. Before he knew it, Jeff was dragged up and suddenly found himself on the Champ's shoulders… ready to be FU'd.

That was it. He was hanging on John's shoulders like a helpless doll, and in any minute he would find himself on the other end of his opponent's vicious finishing move. And that would be it. John would win.

_John would win. _

That very second, it was like something erupted in Jeff Hardy… a feeling so intense that he almost felt strong again. It was a mixture of passion and revulsion, especially at the thought of someone else walking away as the WWE Champion. _He _was going to be the WWE Champion by the end of the match. This was his time to shine.

And if it wasn't for him, then he'd win for Maria. Even if he had nothing left in him, he always found the strength to fight for Maria. _Always_. She was his everything.

He wanted her to have the very best. She deserved the very best. She deserved a champion… And even though he knew that the WWE Championship didn't affect the way she felt about him, he wanted her to see the gold around his waist. Jeff wanted her to see that he could be a hero.

He _would_ be her hero.

With that in mind, with that momentary leap of strength and the thought of Maria in the back of his head, Jeff miraculously managed to push himself off of John's shoulders. Out of nowhere he surprised everyone, and most importantly himself, by running to the ropes…

…And delivering a flawless and mind-blowing Swanton Bomb.

Jeff was in a daze when he covered John's body. He wasn't fully aware of the situation, until he felt the excitement in the crowd go up a notch, and the referee yelling besides him.

_1…2…3!_

The fans, all thousands of them, erupted in cheers and screams. It was like the atmosphere around him had just exploded. Jeff himself suddenly felt a burst of happiness and victory. He had done it.

Jeff Hardy was the new WWE Champion.

_I'm the Champion…_

All signs of exhaustion seemed to have vanished from his body as he got up and lifted his belt with pride. He was all over the place. He went on every turnbuckle, stood on each one of them and celebrated with the fans.

Jeff then kneeled down in the middle of the ring. He held his championship tightly against his chest, as if afraid to let it go, as tears of joy formed in his eyes.

Everything he had dreamed of since he was a child in North Carolina, everything he'd worked for his entire wrestling career was coming true at this very moment. He'd gone through so many highs and lows, and even in his most miserable moments, he still thrived to be the WWE Champion.

And now he was.

As he continued grasping the belt against his heart, he felt a pair of soft hands gently cup his face. He recognized the touch immediately: he could recognize her anywhere and at anytime.

Jeff looked up into Maria Kanellis' beautiful and tearful eyes. They were tears of joy, just like his. Her smile, so close to his face, made the feeling of pure happiness in him become even more significant.

The fans screamed even more as the two Superstars slowly stood up at the same moment, while Maria's hands were still holding onto Jeff, keeping her close to him. He then saw the golden belt wrapped around the Diva's waist: she was the Woman's Champion. Maria, too, had made her dream come true.

"Jeff, we did it! We did it!" She said over the loud cheers coming from the crowd, as more tears spilled down her perfect face. They reached her lips, but her smile was still intact. Nothing could hide her happiness. She pulled Jeff's face closer to hers, and whispered as she wrapped her arms around him for a tight unbreakable hug. "We did it…"

Jeff couldn't even form words; whatever he said wouldn't be strong enough to express how he felt. He felt amazing. He felt beyond amazing… like the luckiest man alive. After all, he had everything he ever wanted. How many men could say that about themselves? Jeff was one of the few who could. He had his childhood dream wrapped around his waist; the gold he'd been fighting to have for almost ten years. And, more importantly, he had the woman he loved more than life itself wrapped in his arms, where she belonged.

Yes, the Daredevil's life couldn't get any better.

"Jeff…" Maria whispered gently in his ear again, as she pulled away from his hug to look him deep in the eyes.

Through her tear stained face he could still see the joy in her. Her eyes screamed happiness.

She then leaned her forehead against Jeff's, as she continued staring deeply into his eyes, almost taking his breath away. Her smile grew an inch wider, as her voice softened up even more.

"I love you too…"

And just like that, Jeff Hardy's life had gotten even better.

_She loves me._

Before he knew it, their lips were locked in one of the most passionate and loving kissed they'd ever shared. The crowd became hysterical, as confetti rained down on the new champions.

_She loves me. _

The words repeated themselves in Jeff's mind, anchoring themselves in his memory. He now knew, without the slightest doubt, that Maria loved him back. She was in love with him.

He was in love with her. And he knew, with the most certainty in the world, that they would continue loving each other as long as they were both breathing.

That's what it was supposed to be. That's what it would always be.

Jeff Hardy and Maria Kanellis.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There you have it… the last chapter of Ever Fallen In Love.

I really hope you all liked it. I really do! I personally enjoyed writing this story more than I could ever tell you. I really grew attached to it, and I grew attached to all of you who followed through the story!

I want to thank you all, one last time, for reading and often reviewing this story. Thank you for sticking with me. You have no idea how much your feedback touched me, and pushed me to do my best with this story. I really hope you loved it as much as I did.

Thank you! 

Cena-Wilson-Crazy


End file.
